


Underground

by TranquilBloom



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Everything is Canon until about midways the Yostuba investigation, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I definitely wasn’t inspired by Fallout, Just some-not too much, Kinda, Like they’ve determined it’s Yotsuba but not which member it is yet, M/M, Nuclear Warfare, Post-Apocalyptic, Slow Burn, Tragedy, i’m not sure if this has been done before, ok I was, partially, rating will probably go up a couple of times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 50,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27525301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TranquilBloom/pseuds/TranquilBloom
Summary: The forest was lined with tall, healthy trees, shadowing the flat earth that lie beneath it. Any other day, this would seem relaxing: a protective environment, a refuge from the harsh beams of the hot sun. Today, it would serve to be a refuge for other reasons.When a nuclear bomb strikes the Kanto Region of Japan, most of the remaining population is forced to remain indoors in underground bunkers for an indiscernible amount of time. How will the stubborn, proud detective, and his main suspect for the greatest serial murder case he’s ever taken on cope?
Relationships: L/Yagami Light
Comments: 32
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

The warning had appeared only an hour prior, the command in the initial fifteen minutes following. 

_This is Koki Tanakabara from NHN News with a Nationwide Emergency Broadcast._

A hasty escape and procured shelter were imperative to ensure imminent survival. 

_To best optimize your chances at survival, we firstly advise you all to remain calm, and act without rash behavior or alarm._

Traffic lined the roads, cars littering the only pathways that lead to prospective freedom and safety from otherwise guaranteed condemnation. 

_If you live at a great distance from any large cities, you are encouraged to immediately shut your doors and close your windows, remaining as far away from them as possible after doing so._

Light was initially surprised at the elderly man’s dexterity when it came to dodging cars at a relatively high speed—well, at the highest that was possible considering the situation. However, that shock ebbed away with the reminder of the reason for the occurrence—the broadcast. 

_If you reside, or are currently in any place that is either in a major city, or relatively close to one, heed these following instructions very carefully._

“I suppose these should be removed for the time being,” the hunched over detective suggested pointedly as he gestured to the chain between the two, his voice rather rushed in comparison to its typical flow, but otherwise steady and monotone per usual as he disturbed Light from his brief stupor from his place beside him in the back seat. Digging into his pocket, nimble fingers produced a key and reached for Light’s shackled wrist, efficiently freeing the boy’s arm before unchaining his own and winding the chain tightly around the set of cuffs where both they and the key returned to his pocket. 

_A nuclear bomb is reportedly headed toward Japan, estimated to hit within the next couple of hours, while the main targeted location has allegedly not yet been determined. Printed on the screen beside me is a map that indicates the location of all government facilitated underground bunkers, which are fully stocked and prepared for such a situation, if it were to arise. If you are reasonably close to any of these locations, it is advised that you make your way to them with haste. For better instructions on how to reach these sites, please visit the government website for assistance, which contains in-depth directions on how to reach these destinations via your current personalized location._

A sudden swerve sent the younger of the two against the inner door of the vehicle nearest his side, earning him an expectant look from his superior. Momentarily returning the gaze, the brunet’s eyes traveled upward, following the other’s lanky arm until he noticed spindly fingers clutching the grab handle above the car window as L continued to dully stare at him. _Oh. Right._ Feeling a bit foolish for being so uncharacteristically out of his element, and acting so blatantly about it in the process, he mirrored the older man’s actions and grasped the handle on his side as well. 

_If you are in or nearby a major city and fail to reach an underground facility in time, while still managing to survive, regard the following instructions as accurately as you find it to be possible: Seek shelter immediately. The most effective way to shield yourself from the effects of a nuclear explosion are buildings made of brick or concrete—a basement present and little to no windows preferable. If this is impossible, simply duck down or lay down, covering your head and ears. Distance yourself from any windows once you are indoors. Avoid staring directly at the blast, and cover your nose with a towel or an article of clothing to prevent yourself from breathing in any harmful debris. Shut off all air conditioners and heaters, as they can easily spread contaminated particles throughout your shelter. Take a shower immediately, but avoid using conditioner as doing so can bind radioactive particles to your hair and scalp. Seal away any contaminated clothing you may have in bags, and refrain from using disinfectant wipes on your skin. Do not exit your shelter unless it is absolutely necessary, and keep a radio nearby to listen for any possible updates._

As the car continued to merge forward, the constant rumbling on the engine caused a somewhat lulling, yet contradictory anxious tightening in Light’s chest. Watching the scenery beyond the closed windows shift from familiar to slightly unrecognizable, he shut his eyes, releasing any pent up tension he had regarding the situation on the grab handle that remained enclosed securely in his grasp. 

_Above all else, protect yourself and those around you. Our thoughts remain with you in these trying times. Be aware, be cautious, and most of all, stay safe. This is Koki Tanakabara from NHN News signing off and wishing you the absolute best for you and your loved ones in this prevailing situation._

A final lurch of the vehicle, signifying its stop, caused Light to open his eyes as the roaring engine ceased its growling. Almost immediately, L threw open the door and scrambled out in his amphibious-like manner, leaving it wide open for Light to follow behind. As the younger exited, his eyes hurriedly took in the landscape before him. He had been here before, at least a few times in the past. At least the northernmost part of it, that is, if he were gauging his current location correctly. This area was much further inside, deeper in the guts of nature, and was practically foreign land to him. 

The forest was lined with tall, healthy trees, shadowing the flat earth that lie beneath it. Any other day, this would seem relaxing: a protective environment, a refuge from the harsh beams of the hot sun. Today, it would serve to be a refuge for other reasons.

Different people—some in groups, others alone—sparsely decorated the large expanse of land before them, both physically and audibly. Though mostly coming from different directions, they were all rushing toward the same destination—many shouting and wailing resoundingly as they did so. 

“Follow the people!” L commanded, giving only a halfhearted glance at the vehicle behind him before he took off, leaving Light and Watari to follow behind. Light sprinted while Watari jogged—there wasn’t time to spare to do much else, and a small hangup could easily cost any of them their lives. 

Light’s breaths, now turned pants, echoed into the hollow, eerie atmosphere as the bottom of his shoes padded roughly against the dry earth beneath him, clouds of dirt billowing up at the sides of his ankles. He’d always thought himself to be in superb physical shape—being the Junior Tennis Champion in years past and beyond proficient in most athletic activities would certainly lead one to that conclusion—however, nothing could have possibly prepared him for a literal ‘Run for your life!’ nationwide doomsday predicament. 

Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes seemingly turned into hours until finally, not too far of a distance in front of L, Light finally spotted a large, rectangular shaped iron mass poking up from a rather large section of grass and untouched weeds, decorated with a massive, seemingly very hefty, vault-like door, which people were constantly clamoring into once they reached it, and shutting tightly upon they entering, evidently not wanting to risk any debris or other negative effects of the explosion seeping indoors if it occurred immediately after they escaped to safety. 

Up ahead, the latest person to open the vault was a woman who was covering her head and neck with a jacket as if it were an umbrella— _As if that’s going to change anything_ , the youth sarcastically thought to himself. He would have rolled his eyes if the situation weren’t so dire and anxiety inducing. 

Heart beating sporadically in his throat, Light watched as L wrenched open the door and hurried inside, thankfully leaving the door open behind him. It was too early to release a sigh of relief, so the teen held his breath and bit his lip roughly in the process, powering himself forward even faster than he’d previously running, letting out the air he’d been holding only once he stepped inside. Darkness swarmed his vision as he felt around for the wall directly beside the door, propping his arm against it to prevent him from collapsing to his knees as his chest heaved with plenty of previously untaken breaths.

As his eyes slowly began adjusting to the darkness surrounding him, he began to make out general, imprecise shapes, only recognizing them as stairs and permanently mounted ladders a few moments later. Beneath the thin platform he stood upon, a runged ladder was attached, with a small set of stairs following, and then another ladder beneath it, this one smaller, and then what appeared to be the actual floor. The staircase laid between two small stretches of dirt and small bits of grass, almost entirely covered with what seemed to be a gravel-resembling substance. _It seems that they didn’t get a chance to finish the construction work in this bunker._ Huh. The work seemed recent, as well. _They’d predicted this happening in secret for a while now, of course they had._

Finally catching his breath and calming his lurching chest to a reasonable level, he looked over at L, who was still firmly planted at the door. Taking an experimental step toward the ladder, he nodded to L, who didn’t seem to budge and only eyed him blankly in response. _Okay..._ Shrugging, the younger male turned backward and placed his foot downward, taking a few steps down the ladder. Peering upward toward the entrance, he noticed that L still hadn’t moved an inch, his eyes plastered to the crack in the door. What the hell was he doing? Shouldn’t he have already been heading down the ladder as well, ensuring his safet—

 _Oh._ That was when Light realized something was missing. Or rather, someone. 

_Watari._

Caught up in the distracting rush of adrenaline and overall panic that stemmed from his very desire to survive, Light had completely forgotten about the man. Rushing the few steps up the ladder he had taken in reverse, he peered out of the crack in the heavy vault door to see where Watari was, in attempt to estimate how long it’d take the man to reach them. Instead, peering deep into the forest, he noticed multiple figures which appeared to be the size of ants from the distance they were at. He squinted his eyes, attempting to find one that resembled Watari. _Black suit, white hair, still possibly wearing that black chauffeur’s cap..._ Light scanned the area quickly, yet thoroughly, until something caught his attention out of the side of his eye. _Oh, there he is!_

Watari wasn’t an ant at all, his chauffeur hat long gone (probably lost in the run over) and was rather much closer than the others in the distance. He was only about 100 meters away, while the others were at an array of distances further away, varying from about what he approximated to be 300 meters, to way too deep in the landscape to make an accurate assessment of their appearances. _Good._ The man was close. _If only he could rush out there to help him..._

“Ryuuzaki!” The elderly man coughed out exasperatedly, voice heavier and breathy, obviously not having to exert that much physical activity in the better part of a decade or so. 

“Watari!” L replied from beside him, his tone much louder than Light had ever heard it, tinged with slight emotion that Light had also never once heard from the man, rendering him unable to place what exactly it was intended to be. Hope? Desperation? Fear? _All of them?_ It didn’t matter at the moment. Opening the door wider and placing one foot outside of it, L’s eyes remained fixed on the man running toward the pair. 

Although still only about five meters from where Light had previously estimated Watari to be, the man outstretched his hand, likely hoping it would give him an advantage when he neared closer to them. 

L stuck his arm out in congruence, stance steady as he seemed prepared to pull Watari in as soon as he got close enough. _Come on, come on..._

Light’s thoughts were interrupted as a deep, rumbling sound pierced the atmosphere, getting increasingly louder by the millisecond, almost causing him to guard his ears instinctively. The ground seemingly grew brighter in color, past the effect of the spare rays of sun peeking through the tree leaves and branches which were towering above. Shrieks and sobs increased in volume, the ants in the distance scurrying even more rapidly toward the bunker than before. 

_Oh no._

L’s eyes widened very perceptibly, the whites of them appearing to overtake his ebony irises as he hastily took a few steps forward, his arm still outstretched in the elderly man’s direction. “Wata—!”

Light lurched forward, his fight or flight instinct kicking in, and snatched the detective backward, keeping an arm latched tightly around his waist as he grabbed the inner door handle and yanked it shut, intentionally throwing both himself and L backward off of the stepping platform in the process. A sharp inhalation from the other man was all he heard before he, to the best of his ability, angled both himself and the slighter man he was holding midair in attempt to protect them upon landing without either of them absorbing much damage. 

Simultaneous ‘oof!’s resounded from both mouths as they landed in a heap beside the set of stairs, the wind likely being knocked out of both party’s lungs. Light’s eyes slowly began to open as he tried to ignore the feeling of gravel and small, sharp rocks digging into his shoulder (he was definitely cut in a few minor places, probably bruised in plenty more) when, instantaneously—

_Boom._

An instant ear shattering headache forced its way to the forefront of Light’s brain as he screamed out in pain, rolling over to face the ground as he allowed his instincts to take over, lacing his hands behind his head so his elbows covered his ears. The earth around him was shaking, bits of dirt and rock roughly brushing against his face and the sides of his body. A loud, high-pitched ringing sound in his ears that seemed to be traveling directly through his brain prevented him from hearing his own jagged breathing as the tips of his elbows remained grinding shallowly into the ground. 

Still winded, but taking deep breaths, the youth willed himself to calm, trying to do anything to keep his mind off of the harsh, solid, seemingly constant sound in his ears.

 _His family._ His mother and Sayu would have been at home when the warning was announced... _It was a Thursday morning._ Sayu would have more than likely been sitting in front of the television screen while eating breakfast, preparing to be driven to school by their mother, so they would have heard the broadcast and promptly, after a few panicked shouts from Sayu, rushed to leave. His father would have only left for work a few minutes prior, and would have been driving to the Kira Task Force Headquarters tower while listening to the Morning News on AM Radio as he always did, where he’d undoubtedly have heard the announcement. As he presumed, his father would have instantly turned the car around and rushed back to pick up his mother and sister, who definitely would have still been home due to Sayu’s panicked, yet short delay, and they all would have piled into his father’s car and been driven to the shelter built primarily close to their family home, which he’d seen on the popup map provided by the government on their website. It was okay. _They were safe. They were safe._

Still severely lethargic and feeling weary in nearly every part of his body, but steady and motivated enough to sit up, he removed his hands from the back of his aching head and placed his palms on the rocky terrain beneath him, pressing upward. His body felt like shivering lead as he shifted his weight over, coughing briefly, and sat with his legs outstretched, head tilting backward as he held himself up by his open hands extended behind him. 

Once he regained the energy to focus on his immediate surroundings, he blinked dust out of his eyelashes, only to be met with a somehow worse off looking L, who was also seated on the ground, except propped up by only one hand and leaning to the side. Although Light himself had taken most of the impact from the fall, L’s formerly clean, ivory shirt was covered in dry, brown smears and was torn at the collar, a few droplets of blood lining the laceration. An uncannily silent and strained forefeeling saturated the atmosphere as Light’s eyes sluggishly—still partially fatigued from the fall—trailed upward, until they finally reached the frailer man’s face. 

The shock of what he saw nearly made him leap backwards in dismay. L’s inky eyes, even darker considering the lack of lighting, were narrowed further—more harshly—than Light had ever bore witness to, pure venom and hatred being spore in his direction. The man’s eyebrows, which Light hardly ever saw, and rarely paid attention to on the occasions in which he did, were downward, angular slopes on his face, framing the unmistakeable expression of anger toward the younger boy’s person.

The brunet felt sweat beading on his hairline and on the bridge of his nose, already hearing the unspoken accusations that were practically leaking from that glare. No, no, this certainly didn’t make him Kira, it couldn’t! He’d wanted to help Watari, too, and waited up until the last feasible second that it would have been possible, then saved L’s life in the process! If he hadn’t have been there, standing guard, L would have ran out, and...No. _L certainly couldn’t conceive that he’d wanted Watari dead from that, could he?_

Without Light’s interference, Watari and L would have both died. With Light’s interference, only Watari was harmed. The poor man was doomed either way; it was inevitable at that point. Light certainly wasn’t happy about the situation, but with the adrenaline coursing through his veins so intensely as it were at the moment, his heart pounding with every surge, he couldn’t yet consider it from a point of view that he didn’t find to be entirely logical and heavily survival-based, although he did attempt to. He figured he’d feel the full, tactful brunt of what he’d witnessed later, as it all settled in, and he would be able to better process the blur that the entire morning’s events had assimilated themselves to become in his mind. 

Besides, wasn’t it L who had, only a few days earlier, advocated for the killings of the businessmen that the Yostuba group were planning to off by the hand of Kira to continue without interference as “proof” of their crimes, before Light himself came up with a plan to delay the murders and obtain the same evidence all the while? 

The detective hadn’t cared about the sanctity of life then, at that point. Had he only begun to now, when his proxy-butler-whatever his actual title was had been killed? Or was it because it practically happened before his very eyes? No, that couldn’t be the reason; with L’s line of work he’d assuredly witnessed much worse...

Light did feel sorry, he really did, as Watari always seemed like a warm, kind, and respectful old man, in a grandfatherly sense, who was only a bit daunting due to his proximity to L, his willingness to so closely follow his orders, and the extent of what he’d unerringly observed in tandem with such. In fact, he figured he would have felt horrible about anyone in this situation, unless they’d done something very serious and unforgivable to deserve it. That didn’t make him any more like Kira than your average Joe. But this particular situation wasn’t his fault, correct? No, it couldn’t be. He kept repeating it in his head, as if it were a mantra. _Not my fault, not my fault..._

L’s penetrating glare was still sealed upon him, ensuring that it wasn’t a simple mistake of the moment. _Was this how L had always perceived him, yet chose to keep it to himself, until now?_ Surely, L didn’t still despise him, if he ever had prior to. Surely, they’d gotten past all of that, right? Ryuuzaki himself had said that he theorized Light no longer had any recollection of committing murders, if he had in the past (which Light unmistakably knew that he hadn’t), so the detective hadn’t been harboring these feelings of... _animosity_ for him in private since he was technically innocent, or at least he had been for a while now, according to his own logic? Light thought they’d bonded a bit, at least as much as it’s possible to when you’re the main suspect in the greatest mass murder case in history chained to the most world renowned detective in existence. Like a serpent, the thin, yet resilient man pushed himself into what was close to his customary crouching position, except this time he was leaning forward, the balls of his feet supporting of his body weight as if he were a predator preparing to launch on his prey from his haunches, a voracious aura surrounding each of his movements. 

Light’s eyes widened in pure trepidation, as he uneasily slid himself backward until his aching back hit the wall behind him, effectively halting his ‘escape’, or whatever he was even attempting to do. Was L preparing to fight him? The routinely composed, stoic man had never initiated any of their fights before—that’d been Light. However, taking this very special situation into consideration...

“Ryuuzaki...?” he questioned, the tone of his voice tentative as he naturally tried to constrain his head closer into the wall, obviously to no avail, although the towering man hadn’t moved forward an inch. Light certainly wasn’t prepared for a fight, and the reaction L was providing him with was heavily unsettling. The teen couldn’t decide if L decidedly voicing his opinion, whatever that may be (though Light had his money on the notion of himself being able to accurately guess what it was), or opting to stay in silence was more disconcerting. It was only at that instant that a spot of illumination caught Light’s eye. 

Craning his head in the direction from which it came and peering downward, he stole sight of a medium sized group of people, in which a decent portion were staring up at whatever they could manage to see of both himself and Ryuuzaki. Some stood while others sat on the floor, seemingly distracted—likely by whatever they’d left behind—and few more still gathering their bearings from the blast. In retrospect, Light figured that everyone nearby was doing exactly that— _everyone that was still alive, that is_ —in more ways than one. Another thing he noted was something that everyone in his line of sight had in common, with the exception of Ryuuzaki, was the protective ear muffs that they were all wearing. _Oh. That_ would have saved them both from a lot of pain, had they possessed the knowledge of the ear muffs’s existence, and enough time to employ them. 

“So...do you two feel like joining us anytime soon?”

A voice echoed from the area beneath them, however, neither of them were able to place which individual it had belonged to. 

Not handling the uncomfortable situation very well, Light stood shakily, a bit hunched in an accidental imitation of L and brushed past the man, avoiding the contempt dripping gaze that followed him wherever he dared to move. Shaken, he grabbed the handle of the last remaining ladder and hoisted himself onto the rungs, lowering himself a step at a time until he reached the bottom and faced the crowd. Hearing the hollow chiming of shoes upon metal, he turned his own gaze downward and avoided L’s eyes, relying on his sense of sound to determine when the disgruntled presence reemerged beside him. 

The full crowd, now that he could see the room at its total capacity, was much larger than Light had expected, the teen noted, as virtually all of the eyes present in the room turned to face himself and the sullen detective. With his hearing close to being wholly intact again, he now heard anxious crying and mewls resonating from the general group, which was being peppered with practically unbearable screeches and coughs from some children near the back of the room. 

The youth shut his eyes and counted to ten, willing himself to calm once more. 

His near future didn’t seem as if it would be anything less than extraordinarily complex.


	2. Chapter 2

The voice Light recognized as the one who’d just previously spoken moments ago, did the same, again. 

“Glad you could join us.”

Scanning the crowd a bit more closely, Light noted that there were about 50 people (adults) present, and a few kids—some teenagers, and some younger. There was a small family who appeared to be composed of foreigners—Light gauged this by the fact that they were whispering in what sounded to be French (?)—standing off to the side, reluctant to interact with the rest of the group. Light didn’t necessarily blame them—considering the ill-mannered fashion that the man who’d spoken approached himself and Ryuuzaki in, he wouldn’t exactly describe this climate to be a very welcome environment. 

Aforementioned man craned his neck toward the pair expectantly, a glint of annoyance and... _mistrust?_ lingering in his eyes. “Well?” Though his clothes were shabby, his hair was neatly styled, a striking contrast to his scruffy beard. 

Light refrained from rolling his eyes at the man, who he figured must have viewed himself to be a ringleader of sorts, and shut his eyes briefly. _Is he actually upset at us for being ‘late’ to our prospective demise?_ “I’m sorry we kept you all waiting...” Light replied, openly gesturing toward the man as if he were awaiting a name to properly address him by.

“Hirota.”

“Right. As I was saying, our apologies, Hirota-san....” He paused in his speech, his eyes curtly shutting, then fluttering open again and locking upon ‘Hirota’s. “...There was a bit of traffic out.”

The hint of cynical sarcasm, which everyone else in the room seemed to either be unaware of, or was successfully ignoring, wasn’t lost on the man, who in return matched the teen’s gaze with equal intensity, as if threatening him to continue to do so. 

“Before the _two of you_ arrived,” Hirota began, “we had just been discussing the idea of giving the place a tour, as a group, so we know everyone is on the same page and no one is left out of the loop about anything.”

 _Did the group actually decide that together, or did you?_ Regardless, it wasn’t a bad idea at all and Light approved, so he simply nodded. “Whenever everyone’s ready.”

Multiple people were still in the process of removing their ear muffs, some individuals seemingly not prepared to part with them quite yet, in the unlikely event that another blast hit. The youth considered saying something regarding this thought process, but quickly decided against it, his heart still racing demandingly in his chest from the events that had transpired much too abruptly, the pace not at all adjusted to his current environment. 

Once most of the people had stood and only a few individuals were left seated, Hirota motioned toward a hallway made of cement; a few small to medium sized pebbles haphazardly scattered along the walkway, obviously deemed too unimportant by the construction team to remove beforehand—whenever the hell this place was built. 

Light waited a few beats before following the crowd, wanting to put some distance between himself and the uncouth, self assumed leader. Starting off with conflict already didn’t seem very promising, and any rising tension would just bring more unnecessary strain into the situation. Perhaps furthering himself would ebb some of the freshly blooming friction away. 

Prior to stepping forward, the boy noticed a distinct lack of motion from his left side. Rotating his neck only slightly, he analyzed what he could of L from that position. The detective was hunched over—notably more than usual—his gaze lingering upon the dirty floor, almost as if he were spaced out. Light took a deep breath and closed his eyes, willing himself to speak. 

“Let’s go, Ryuuzaki,” he urged quietly, ensuring that his voice was soft and free from all viable coarseness. “We don’t want to be left behind.”

Instead of a faux-friendly, silk lined ‘You are correct, Light-kun, my apologies’ that Ryuuzaki tended to use when they were in public/around the task force, or a more sarcastic, yet jovial ‘I suppose Light-kun believes me incapable of comprehending the most basic of directions?’ that he typically saved for the times in which they were alone, long after the remaining members of the task force had left and only they were present, he was met with a cold, bitter stare, disdain dripping from the brunt of it. 

Light swallowed deeply, the unsettling atmosphere causing a much undesired, callous tension to spark between the two. Although he had actively disliked one, and usually felt indifferent toward (or maybe, in secrecy, preferred) the other, considering the circumstances, he couldn’t help but feel a weighted longing for either of L’s previous attitudes to return, the mere thought of them striking him as comforting. He thirsted for almost any semblance of home, or at least familiarity, and he hadn’t received any of that today, especially after he’d set foot (or rather, body) in this place.

After a few moments of an unofficial, and quite uncomfortable staring match with frailer man, Light came to the realization that the former wasn’t planning on moving, at least not yet, and decided to press himself forward, shifting his gaze to the moving crowd ahead rather than the seething man beside him. Getting about 5 or so steps away he paused momentarily to turn back, only to find L _still_ more hunched over than ordinary, and his feet still plastered in the same spot. The only thing that’d changed was the fact that instead of glowering at the now empty space that Light had been standing in beside him, his glare had turned upon him once more, somehow more intimidating and vicious from the further distance away. 

Feeling sweat bead at his hairline and the nape of his neck, the teen turned back toward the crowd and began his assent forward. A few of the stragglers who were (understandably) standing away from everyone else turned to look at Light, but hardly any of them seemed to pay him any mind, or at least didn’t appear to. 

“I guess these are the sleeping quarters,” Hirota’s voice resounded from the front of the crowd. Slowly, more and more people in the general area began exploring rooms around them, opening the doors and traveling inside. 

“They’re very small,” someone commented from inside of one of the rooms. 

“Yeah,” another agreed. “There’s a set of bunk beds, but besides that, there’s not much room.”

Light opened the door of the room nearest him, stepping inside. Surely enough, there were two bunk beds, seemingly part of a large compartment that was mounted onto the wall, and only a small area of walk room adjacent to it. The mattresses were paper thin and bare, not that he’d expected much different. There was a single pillow atop each mattress, certainly not renowned for their fluffiness or durability. _They may as well have given us cardboard,_ the teen thought sardonically, as he stepped forward, his hand accidentally making contact with a square appendage which was also drilled into the wall. _Huh._ Pulling it toward him, it transformed into a new, flat surface midair. _Oh. A tray._ That’d be useful, but it didn’t seem as if it would be of use for more than one person at a time. Whatever, this wasn’t a five star hotel. Although he had become greatly accustomed to the ‘lavish’, per se, comforts and amenities that came with L’s grand income, this was merely for survival and nothing more. It was only temporary and he could certainly live with it. 

After pushing the fold out tray back against its respective spot on the wall, Light took a few steps forward, practically finding himself at the corner of the room. Well, it wasn’t huge and majorly comfortable, but it’d have to do. Light briefly considered that anyone who would have nerve enough to criticize their current living arrangements would definitely have to be far too greedy and excessively entitled. _At least we have our lives._

Exiting the room and shutting the door behind him, then (somewhat) rejoining the crowd, Light silently waited for everyone to file out of the rooms they were ‘exploring’ so that the group could move on. 

After a while of waiting, the sense of disconnection from all those around him was strong enough for Light to lace his arms over his chest and briefly shut his eyes, sighing as his mind reeled over everything that had happened so far, in such a short amount of time. Unfortunately, he was startled from his moment of reflection not long after it had began, when he heard Hirota’s forceful voice echo from the front of the crowd. 

“Shall we move on? Or are you not done critiquing the place?”

Light opened his eyes to see the boorish man standing wide-legged and square shouldered as he stared down a woman who was still standing in the doorway of one of the rooms, peering inside. 

The woman turned around slowly, her eyes widening as she realized she was the one being addressed, and that more than half of the pairs of eyes in the crowd were now upon her. 

_Oh,_ Light remembered dully. _The woman from outside that was using her jacket like an umbrella._

Said woman opened her mouth as if to reply, then decidedly snapped it shut, casting her eyes upon the floor and shutting the door behind her. Hirota nodded approvingly and began trekking off to some other place in the bunker. 

Light found it odd how no one spoke up on the woman’s behalf. Yes, she’d definitely been taking a while, but Hirota’s attitude was entirely unwarranted. Usually, he himself would have spoken up during such a situation, regardless of the target, however he was much too drained to do so, and was far from eager to cause a major disruption. _Maybe everyone else is too drained as well. Or they’re just scared of him, in general._

Whatever the reasoning was, Light simply hoped that they wouldn’t have to deal with it for a long period of time, especially for the duration of their little ‘vacation’. Perhaps the brute was accustomed to ordering people around in his daily life, and the full weight of the situation they were (quite literally) trapped in would suddenly be cast upon his shoulders in a few days, causing him to alter his attitude. It seemed a bit too hopeful to be true, but Light did like to think of himself as a bit of an optimist from time to time. 

The group didn’t get far down the hallway before a voice he hadn’t previously heard shouted out a curious, “What’s that?”

“Hm?” Hirota grumbled and turned back to face the voice in what seemed to be annoyance, then comprehension, as he came to realize that he’d walked past whatever the stranger had pointed out. A vague sliding sound emitted from the direction they were in, until an “Oh, they’re showers” silenced it. 

The shower room appeared to be almost new, aside from the few cracked tiles that lined the floor. Between the two sinks, a single, round mirror was hung against the wall, covered in a white, cloudy substance, as if it had been bathed in steam. At first glance, Light was just grateful that there was a functioning water source in this place; the tank was probably somewhere nearby. 

The crowd moved forward, as did the few straggling behind, including Light. After he took a few steps forward, he paused turned around curiously, only to be met with an angry glare from L who was a small ways behind him, walking considerably slower than usual—probably as a means to avoid catching up with him. Turning around, he cast his eyes downward briefly, then proceeded to move forward. 

As they turned the corner, those in the front of the group were faced with a bigger door and a smaller one beside it almost immediately. Someone next to Hirota grabbed the handle of the bigger door and pushed it open, revealing the largest room they’d seen yet, the walls stocked nearly to the top with small boxes, cans, and plastic pouches. 

“Ah. Food,” the man unhelpfully provided, as members of the crowd began to pour into the room, murmurs and small talk beginning to overtake what had once been silence. Light finally entered, and took in the sights around him. This _was_ fairly large room. He approached one of the walls, like many others, and picked up a pouch from the one of the shelves it rested upon, analyzing it. _‘Black beans, just add water! 700+ calories per serving.’_ , it read. He sat the pouch back down in the spot he retrieved it from and picked up a few more. _Well, at least there’s variety, and we won’t be running out of food any time soon._

Preparing to walk away, a long fingered, pale hand, followed by a lanky, sleeve covered arm caught his vision from the corner of his eye, as it reached for something near one of the top shelves a few yards away. _Of course he decides to join everyone else when it comes to food._ The detective was reading the contents of a can, the finger of his other hand hanging out of his mouth, before roughly sat the can down in what seemed to be disgust. Light would have cracked a smile, had the current situation not had been what it was. 

Upon closer inspection, the teen noticed that the finger brushing Ryuuzaki’s lip was vibrating, as well as the lip itself. No, his entire body was trembling. _Is he shaken up from what happened?_ Most people would be, but L was far from ‘most people’, in more ways than one. 

Walking around inconspicuously to get a better angle of the odd man, the youth stopped in his tracks when he noticed a fairly large rip in the back of his shirt, exposing a considerable portion of his shivering back. _Oh. He’s cold._ Light sighed faintly. _That must have happened after the fall._

While his first instinct was to remove his sweater and give it to L, since he himself was wearing another long sleeved shirt underneath it—which wasn’t torn like Ryuuzaki’s, or at all, for that matter—his second instinct promptly reminded him that he’d likely be met solely with a death glare in response, so he decided that wasn’t the best course of action. _He won’t let me help him, will he? No, he definitely won’t. He’ll accuse me of having some hidden agenda, or trying to make nice with him after ‘murdering’ his assistant._ Light swallowed harshly. Perfect, the one person he seemed to be familiar with in this place hated him, and by the looks of it, likely wanted him crucified. Very ideal. 

Upon deciding they were done rummaging through the food, the group exited the room and entered the room with the smaller door beside it, finding it filled with various medical supplies, and most importantly, Potassium Iodine pills. _Protection of the thyroid gland from the effects or radiation after a nuclear blast_ , Light recalled from a course in school. Of course, it wouldn’t offer much protection at all, but it was ideal that the option was available in the first place. 

Through another door at the other end of the hallway, mass packaged, folded sets of pajama-like clothing was found. From a distant glance, the fabric they were made from appeared to only be cotton and polyester, and all of the clothing was sheet white, but the abundance was plenty and it would certainly do for temporary underground living. 

While reviewing the provided options, a flash of ivory crossed his line of vision once more. _Right. L!_ Hopefully he’d open one of the clear packages and replace his shirt, at the very least, so Light wouldn’t have to deal with the sight of him violently shivering from the side of his eye for the remainder of the ‘tour’. 

However, after a spare minute or two, L hadn’t moved to do anything of the nature, but rather stood where he’d entered the room, his hands jammed in his jean pockets and his spine rigidly bent forward. _Is he seriously just going to stand there and let himself freeze?_

Light waited a bit longer, but to no avail. Finally fed up with the situation, he headed over toward the packaging and pulled one that was filled with polyester shirts out. _Ryuuzaki would probably prefer the cotton ones, especially since they’re closer to his usual attire, and they don’t have buttons, but they’re too far away and way too high to reach without a ladder. This’ll have to do for now._ Light crouched down and jammed his finger into the plastic, ripping the wrapping apart, and pulling out one of the shirts. _If he even accepts it, that is._

Shirt in hand, he began making his way over to L, when a now somewhat familiar voice quieted all of the side conversations in the room, rendering them into hushed murmurs, and effectively stopping Light in his tracks once more. “What do you think you’re doing?” 

For the second time today, all of the eyes in the room were on him. 

Light was raised to be polite, respectful, and utilize proper manners—which he prided himself upon. His father being the Chief of the NPA only added to the courteousness he displayed, as he naturally wanted to follow in his footsteps. He’d acted well-behaved and civilly for his entire life, as he was very much taught to be from an early age, and rarely—if ever—deviated from said behavior. There were rare occasions in which he’d wanted to act out, such as when his classmates were being rude to other students, or possibly the teachers, and when he’d noticed someone performing an act that was downright immoral. However, he always managed to keep his composure and knew how to reflect upon a situation and deal with it as best as he could manage—all while remaining calm, polished, and refined. 

On the contrary, something about an unmerited individual assuming what appeared to be a natural, authoritative position above him rubbed him the wrong way, and urged him to all but it defy it. 

“Not that it’s any of your business...” he began, remaining calm, “...but I’m taking one of the shirts.” _If that weren’t obvious enough,_ he wanted to add, but managed to maintain his poker face and placid demeanor. “Unless I’m mistaken, that’s their purpose in being here.”

“What’s your reason?”

 _Why does it matter?_ “Again, not that it’s anyone’s business, but my friend...” he drew his eyes over to Ryuuzaki, then back to the man, “...is freezing, and needs a jacket. This is a substitute for one, for the time being.”

“So, you thought you had the right to dig into the supplies before the rest of us? What makes you so special?” _Who even is this guy? Why is no one else saying anything?_

“I wasn’t aware that I needed your permission to touch the _public_ clothing supply.”

“It’s less of mine, and more of everyone else’s, as a group.”

“Is that so? Last I checked, you were the only one bothered enough to say anything.”

“Maybe that’s because everyone else was too scared to speak their minds.”

 _If anything, they’re afraid of you,_ Light wanted to add, but refrained from giving the self righteous man an ego boost. _Either that or they’re just too tired and worn out to deal with this childish stuff right now._

“We’re not—” A voice in the crowd spoke up, that Light numbly recognized as the woman who the same man had confronted earlier. However, she hastily silenced herself as the man shot a pointed look in her direction.

“I doubt that anyone is afraid to speak up because of me,” Light finally retorted, eager for this pointless confrontation to come to a close. “I think it’s safe to say that all of us have had a pretty rough morning. I’m sure we could all benefit from wrapping this up as soon as possible, so that we can relax afterward.”

Hirota stared at him vexingly. “Yeah. Okay. Just to make it clear, if this becomes a habit in here, we might have to start rationing things out.”

 _Under whose authority?_ No, it was better to let sleeping dogs lie. 

After Hirota’s comments, a few mumbles, mostly of dissent, sparked through the crowd, those causing them presumably speaking to others beside them. 

“It’s only one shirt...”

“He _does_ have a point, some of us might have to take inventory eventually...”

“This is so stupid. Why is the kid even replying to him? It’s a waste of time.”

“Mommy, I don’t like the loud man. He’s scary.”

“I just want to move on...”

Light spoke up, effectively silencing the crowd once more. “There’s plenty of supplies at the moment. Unless someone starts hoarding them, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Anyhow, we can discuss this at a later time. I think that for now, everyone wants to take it easy.”

Buzzes of concurrence traveled through the pack and Hirota begrudgingly conceded. Light finally made his way over to L and held the shirt out to him, but was met with a venomous glare once more, and a tight lipped scowl. _Is he actually not going to accept it, after all that?_ Just when the teen was about to give up and cut his losses, the detective reached out and snatched the proffered shirt from his hands bitterly, turning away from Light and leaving with the rest of the crowd, evidently even more pissed off than before. _Maybe he didn’t want attention drawn to him..._

Following that incident, the group passed through a few more nondescript rooms, and eventually headed downstairs, where the shared power generator and tank room, and a mostly barren ‘lounge’ room was. Whenever an eternity had seemed to elapse, they returned upstairs, all flocking by the sleeping quarters. 

“So...” someone began. “There’s enough beds, right?” 

“How many rooms are there?” someone else asked. 

“There’s...26 rooms. I just counted,” another provided. 

“And how many people are there?” Hirota interjected. 

“I’ll count. Everyone stand still,” a person who was presumably in the back, judging by the echo of their voice, offered. “59. Including the children.”

“What about without the children?”

“Uhhh...53.”

“Well, that’s nearly perfect. We couldn’t have fit anyone else in here, or they’d have ended up sleeping on the floor.”

Everyone seemed to ignore the blatantly insensitive comment, likely hoping to hurry the discussion along. 

“I can share a bed with my wife,” a man piped up from the center of the hallway. “Our two kids can share a bed as well, if one is available. They’re three and four years old, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” 

“Good. Just don’t make any more kids while you’re there. That should work.” The couple seemed visibly taken aback, but offered no rebuttal. “How about couples share a bed?”

A few spoke until finally the spacing was agreed upon, kids and a few couples sharing beds, leaving one person to stay in a room alone (since it was unanimously agreed upon that the children should stay together, rather than leaving one to room alone with a stranger). 

As the crowd began to disperse, leaving a handful behind, chatting away, Light spotted L opening a door. Without much thought, he automatically followed him, closing the door behind them both. Upon the moment the door shut, the atmosphere instantly became mute, no noise from the hallway managing to seep through. 

“Well, at least the rooms are soundproof,” Light commented, lifting his sweater above his head and placing it upon the upper bunk bed. “I suppose that’s a plus.” L offered no response, and instead remained seated on the bottom bunk, his back facing the younger of the two as he held an unseen iron grip upon his ankles. “Ryuuzaki,” Light tried again. “Are you really going to continue ignoring me over this? I’m guessing it’s about what happened, and I’m really sorry about the way things occurred, but I had no choice. You see that, don’t you? I wanted us all to get to safety, but it wasn’t possible. That doesn’t make me Ki—”

“I didn’t agree to sharing a room with you.”

“—ra. Wait, what? I assumed that you’d want to keep surveillance over me, even in a time like this. _Especially_ in a time like this.”

“There is no need to continue my surveillance of you.” L’s voice remained flat and monotone, but otherwise cold and hateful in subtle ways that it never had in the past. 

“Why? I mean, I’m not complaining about it, but what lead you to make that decision?”

“I was surveying you to ensure that you were not Kira, or rather, by my definition, prove that you are. However, I have all the information I require now, at least at the present moment. My decision has been made, or rather, solidified.”

 _That I’m innocent? No, no, he definitely means that I’m guilty. But—_ “Ryuu—”

“Yes. I mean that you are Kira and I know this as fact. To be fair, I always have. Although not likely through the powers you possess as Kira, you still provided me with an extra demonstration today. Now, I’d prefer if you left me alone for the near future, and the distant future as well.”

“Ryuuzaki, you’d be dead if it weren’t for me! Would Kira really save L, when he could have had him so easily disposed of?”

“If you had intentionally left me for dead, such as pushing me out of the door, and I would have managed to get back inside in time, you would have only confirmed your guilt. You figured this was the safer route. Not exactly killing L, but chipping away at him, and making yourself out to be a hero all the same.”

“I didn’t _need_ to shove you out. Just running out there was enough to get you killed. You wouldn’t have made it back in time! Plus, theoretically, how would ensuring your butler died be ‘chipping away’ at you? It doesn’t make sense!”

“He wasn’t a butler.”

“Okay. Okay. Okay.” Light took in a few deep breaths, closing his eyes while he did so, before opening them momentarily and standing in front of L’s hunched form, placing his hands upon his shoulders. “Ryuuzaki, wh—”

L immediately shook off the grasp resting upon his shoulders and leaned back on the bed, positioning his foot in the air in what he could make of a fighting stance, while he propped himself up on his arms in one fluid motion. “Do not touch me, Kira.” 

“Fine,” Light replied, moving back to walk around the room a few times in effort to calm himself. “Okay. Okay.” After a few seconds, he returned to where L was still sitting in his attempted fighting stance, only starting to lower his leg once Light began talking. “Listen, Ryuuzaki, I don’t know why you aren’t thinking reasonably about this. Maybe it’s because I’m involved, but that doesn’t add up, since I’ve been involved in mostly the entire Kira case, and you were always of sound mind, then. Maybe, for some reason, it’s because of Watari himself, or maybe...maybe you just want to hate me, for some reason. Maybe it’s just one of your moodier days, which I’ve seen happen plenty more times than I’m happy to bear in mind, but never to this degree. But whatever your reasoning is, you _have_ to know I’m not lying to you. I didn’t want Watari dead, and I certainly didn’t want you dead, and that fact still remains true. I’m sorry that you’re stressed, but you _have_ to think logically about this and know I’m not the cause of it this time. I didn’t want _any_ of this to happen. Just _think_ about it, _please_.” Light dropped his arms at his side and exhaled deeply. “Today has been a long day for both of us. I know it’s only midday, but I’m exhausted, so I’m going to take a nap. You haven’t slept in days...so I suggest that you do the same.” 

The youth climbed the narrow ladder, no longer sensing the disgruntled detective’s eyes following him anymore, then reached the top of his bed and adjusted the pillow to his liking. “Goodnight, Ryuuzaki,” he said, his voice sincere, more collected and mellow than before. 

\---

L stared fixedly at the blank wall, cold eyes boring holes into the sloppy paint job opposite him. He shivered still, (however less), yet made no move to lay down as his fingers remained firmly latched around his bare ankles, his mind constantly replaying the events of the morning. 

_That little brat._

Light Yagami was raised with an admirable, dutiful father, a loving, responsible mother, and a little sister who adored him in what appeared to be every way. He had looks, charisma, charm, and a great deal of intelligence, practically paving the way for him to be successful in life. 

Light Yagami had the picture perfect family; something plenty of less fortunate individuals were starved for, and many would never achieve. However, he took all of this for granted, only caring about his own selfish goals. 

Light Yagami was a murderer. 

A serial killer, at that. One that killed anyone in his way. 

What would happen if his family found out something they weren’t supposed to?

L already knew the answer. 

Ever since Light had shoved his way into L’s life, things had certainly shifted for him. Though not at all fond of a potential loss of control, L was excited, grateful even, for the challenge that the young man had posed to him. The majority of supposed ‘challenges’ prior to the Kira case had been boring. The lesser the difficulty a case proved itself to have, the lesser amount of interest L held in it. 

However, things weren’t meant to go this far. He’d been 99% convinced Light was Kira since he’d chosen to monitor the Yagami household through strategically placed cameras and wire taps. Proving it to everyone else, however, was another issue. 

Light Yagami should have been convicted and cast away to prison by now. 

By forcing his hand, Light had caused L and Watari to set up base in Japan. Somewhat indirectly, Light’s decisions had lead to L revealing his face to the young murderer. Due to Light’s actions, L and Watari had been present during the nuclear attack. 

Because of Light. _Because of Kira._

Not much in particular was worthy of care in L’s life, from his perspective. He’d began solving cases at an early age—one of the only ways he found to be effective at breaking up the monotony of everyday life. The list of the main things L held dear were comprised of two things. Successfully solving cases was the first one. 

Watari was the other. 

Now, because of Light, because of _Kira_ , one of the two things he’d managed to care about was permanently gone. Because of the clever, murderous, oh so ‘perfect’, ungrateful boy, who had everything most could possibly wish for in life who slept peacefully above him, while he remained wide awake, languishing in the exact contrast—the harsh reality he now lived in. Regardless if it were intentional, and regardless if the boy still possessed memory of his past murders, L knew two things without reservation:

1) Light was the reason both he and Watari were open for attack in the first place.  
2) Buried inside, Light still had the intent to murder within him. 

With only one thing he cared for remaining in his possession to focus on at this point, L decidedly zeroed in on it sharply, forcefully clearing his mind. He would achieve his objective with full triumph, bringing any possible meaning he could to Wammy’s death, assuredly avenging him to the best of his abilities. 

_I will prove you guilty by any means necessary, Light Yagami, and I will ensure that you are handed over to the law and punished accordingly for your crimes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I wanted to get the setting down and pat. A bit more interaction between Light and L next chapter!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

_The atmosphere was cold, and the air was dark, the sun not quite ready to fully emerge beyond the land above it. Along the empty skies streamed small, half formed beams of light. Strong bouts of wind attempted to whip at his face, however, the freshly tied scarf and winter coat he wore prevented it from doing so._

_The gate slid open sluggishly, creaking in its efforts to do so. Stepping into puddles that sparsely decorated the walkway every now and then, he was lead by the hand to the main entrance, around the corner, and into another room—none of which he was at all familiar with. He glanced around in attempt to become acquainted with his surroundings, however was interrupted in his efforts by the voice of the individual who’d lead him here._

_”Would you like juice, milk, maybe tea?”_

Huh? _There was pure, unadulterated silence as he processed the man’s question._

_I’m sure you’re thirsty. Would you like any juice, milk, or tea? There’s also water, if you’d prefer that.”_

_A choice? He’d only met the man hours ago, and he was already presenting him with something he hadn’t been offered for his entire life?_ What did he have to gain from this?

 _Pondering carefully, he gnawed upon his finger, analyzing the man’s features, and the positioning of such. Thin, upturned wisps of greying hair lined his upper lip, as well the top of his head. His features seemed relaxed, giving off an air of something he couldn’t exactly identify. Kindness? Hope? He didn’t seem to be attempting to deceive him. However, the possibility that he could be an expert conman of sorts was definitely in the cards. What_ did _this strange man gain from offering assistance to him? First, a potential_ permanent _place of residence, new clothing, and now this? No one was this kind for absolutely no charge._

_He removed his finger from between his lips, tapping the side of his cheek. “...Tea,” he answered carefully, waiting to see if something out of the ordinary, or rather, expected, would occur._

_Tea. He’d never tried it before, but he’d always noticed_ them _drinking it, henceforth leading him to wondering what it tasted like. Needless to say, he was never provided with an opportunity to discover as much, prior to the current moment._

_”As you wish,” the man replied, nodding once, the small smile on his face growing slightly, yet noticeably in size, before turning around and exiting the room._

_Something about the way the man interacted with him seemed genuine, warm. Perhaps it was a welcoming technique used to urge him to lower his defenses, and strike whenever they were as such—whatever that strike may entail. As the man’s true intentions weren’t known, likely obscured by his false hospitality and eagerness to care for someone he’d just barely met not long before. Could it be that the man sincerely wanted to assist and provide for him out of the kindness of his heart?_

_No, that was impossible. There was hardly a person on the planet who would selflessly offer to assist someone in this way, without ulterior motives, unless they were one of those atypical dopes who were foolishly blinded by unfounded concern, compassion, and a desire to participate in what they deemed to be goodwill. Perhaps this man was a faultless example of one of those types. It’d explain his otherwise confusing actions. Likely not. Regardless, he’d have to wait, and examine him further, while keeping his guard up all the while. Misplaced trust, however could very much be costly, almost suicide, if not so. He had experience with such, after all._

_In case anything were to go awry, an accurate and reliable mental image of his current location would be beneficial in identifying his captors, if he were to make it out mostly unscathed. Glancing around the room, he mentally absorbed the sights that surrounded him:_

_-A wooden table, likely oak, and matching wooden chairs finished with varnish, soft cushions on the seat of each of them that were a bit worn, yet still inviting._

_-Small, staggered paintings in fancy, golden colored frames that featured realistic trees, rivers, and other facets of nature. Upon turning around, he noticed the one highest on the wall behind him, like a mantle. Presented was a depiction matching the front of the building he had just entered and was now standing in what was presumably a dining room of sorts, in, in great detail. Although he’d already committed the frontward outside of the building to memory, looking over it once more wouldn’t hurt, and only strengthen his memory of such._

_A fridge/freezer combo in the corner to his right, smaller than standard size, but still large enough to store_ items _in, whatever those may be. However, there was more than likely no body parts present inside of it. It seemed like too obvious of a place to be hidden, as inconspicuous as it was. Maybe that was their angle? Hiding in plain sight, while only those who were chosen were allowed near the object of interest. Either way, he opted out of touching it, or messing with anything else in the room he wasn’t explicitly told he was allowed to touch, even. This could easily be some sort of trap, and even if it weren’t, meddling with something he shouldn’t be could lead to the creation of a space of his own beside the possible others in the freezer._

_Just as he wrapped up that specific thought process, his potential kidnapper reentered with a cup that appeared to belong to someone with very expensive taste, atop a small plate which appeared to be of the same quality. Accompanying the cup was a small spoon, approximately the size of his index finger, which also lay upon the plate. A soft ‘clink’ resounded from the friction of the small stack being set upon the table, as did a second when a bowl of white cubes appeared beside it._

_You may approach it, if you wish,” the man announced, breaking the pronounced silence. He looked and noticed that the small wisps of grey upon the elderly man’s face turned upward in what seemed to be an amused grin. The amount of creases on his face appeared to increase at the boy’s confusion, crinkled wrinkles that lined his eyes upturned tightly in tenderness. “It is yours, after all.”_

_He took a few cautious steps forward, until he reached the table, which came level to his collarbone. As he reached for the cup handle, a now semi-familiar voice stopped him._

_”You may also sit, if you like.”_

_Hm. Sitting would lower his defenses, exactly what he’d predicted one of the man’s possible goals would be. Yes, opting to stand would be better; it’d be safer. It kept his options open in case something occurred._

_Keeping his eyes locked upon the man’s own, he reached a cautious hand upward and grabbed the handle, pulling the cup and plate pair closer to the edge of the table. The steam lazily rose against his nose, the rest of his face following. His eyes shut naturally, basking in the warmth that the cup and its contents provided._

No, no. _His eyes manually, yet reluctantly, shot back open, fighting the desire to close which was caused by somewhat of a mixture between his recent lack of sleep, and the relaxation and calmness that the warmth of the cup, mixed with the general ambience of this...place lamentably caused to wash over him. Now was_ not _the time to let his guard down, especially when he was in a room with a complete stranger, who had just offered him something to a drink, and had made aforementioned drink when he was entirely out of his line of sight._

_Should he even drink it? If it were poisoned and he declined it, he’d likely be forced to consume the poison in some other form, in a way that involved force. It wasn’t like he could run—the gates which surrounded the building were massive and almost impossible for someone of his size to scale successfully in time. Overall, it was better to just drink it now._

_Raising the cup to his lips, he took a bit of the liquid onto his tongue and swirled it around, then suddenly cringed._ Bitter.

_Apparently he’d done so outwardly, because the man released a restrained chuckle, beaming at him with a stare that he himself would describe as endearing, had he believed such were truthfully possible of human beings. “I figured that would happen, which was why I brought the sugar with me.”_

_Sugar, that’s what the cubes were. He was never permitted such privileges before, or rather, never fortunate enough to have such, spare the rare expired pastry, or so. Thin, gangly fingers reached forth and set the cup of tea down, then plucked a cube from the bowl, experimentally turning it over, and tilting his head sideways as he examined it. Bringing it to his mouth, he pressed his tongue against it, his eyes widening in delight._

_So_ that _was what sugar tasted like, when it wasn’t buried in stale bread, or outdated jam. That was quite nice. Momentarily forgetting his qualms with the situation, he threw the entire cube into his mouth and bit down into it, a loud crunch echoing from between his jaws._ Yes, this was quite pleasurable. _He grabbed another, tossing it into his mouth and savoring the as it danced around his tastebuds. He did the same with a fourth, and a fifth, and a—_

_”There won’t be any left for your tea, if you continue at that rate,” the old man chuckled, his upper arm propping his body up against the doorway, seemingly earnestly entertained by the peculiar events._

Oh. _He’d almost forgotten about the strange man, and his situation entirely. He couldn’t allow that to happen a second time. Finishing off the remnants of the sugar cubes that remained in his mouth, he pulled the teacup forward again, plopping a new cube inside of it. It’d definitely need more, as the tea was quite bitter upon first taste. He plopped a few more inside, watching them plunge into the liquid below. Five, would that be adequate? Possibly, but there was no harm in adding more, at least this once. Who knew when he’d have the opportunity to do so again? Scooping up a handful, he allowed more to cascade into the liquid, watching the color turn lighter and lighter in hue with each new square that joined its brethren at the bottom of the cup. Six-seven-eight-nine-ten-eleven..._

 _Well, he’d surely overdone it at this point, but the watchful man had offered no complaint, and he still had one final cube remaining in his hand._ Plop. _Twelve._

There. _Upon taking the tiny spoon between his thumb and forefinger, he stirred the now thickened liquid, a gritty sensation grinding against the spoon as the drink turned nearly cream colored and sloshed against the inside of the fine china._ Hmph. _Once he was done, he set the spoon aside and brought the cup to his lips with more haste than previous._ Wonderful. Heavenly. Divine. Perfection. _Before he knew it, the cup was entirely drained, not a drop left behind._

_”I’ll take that as a sign that you’d like more?”_

_He was shocked out of his sugar borne stupor at the sound of the voice. He gaped upward, his mouth slightly open. Damn it, he’d done it again. That was twice now, and anything could have happened to him as a result of it. Surely, he’d have to force himself to stay more focused on survival. Regardless of the foreign feeling of kind acceptance that this whole display was causing him to feel, he couldn’t allow that to steer him from safety. Slightly embarrassed, he nodded and slid the plate, cup resting atop it, across the table, his gaze averted to some nondescript point across the room._

_The man disappeared for a shorter time and returned once more, cup in one hand, and bowl in the other. The boy did the same, filling the cup with an inordinate amount of sugar, stirring it, and then gulping it down in a matter of seconds._

_”More?” the man asked with an adoring smile etched across his cheeks, watching the child intently. He nodded and slid the cup toward him once more in admission, and cast his gaze aside._

_When the man returned, he took notice of the fact that although in a somewhat protective manner, the young boy was finally seated._

_”Here you are,” the man offered him his third full cup, and he retrieved it with swiftness._ Who was this odd man, anyway? What was he supposed to call him? Was he supposed to merely stay silent and accept his offers? 

_”I suppose I never formally introduced myself,” the man spoke up once more, eerily reading the boy’s thoughts, it felt like. “My name is Watari. Or, rather, that is what most people refer to me as. However, when we’re alone, you may call me Wammy.”_

_The man extended his hand toward the boy, who eyed it suspiciously before taking it in his own, accepting the handshake. If he felt anything of the grainy, sticky texture that remained grazed upon the boy’s palm, he gave no indication that he did so. “I am...it is a pleasure to meet you, Wammy,” he decided upon as a reply, hoping the man wasn’t expecting a name in return. That was an entire long, and rather arduous path that he wasn’t prepared to, nor willing to travel down._

_”It’s very nice to meet you, as well,” the man replied, squeezing his hand firmly before releasing it to navigate its own tea related devices. “Is there a name you’re typically called by? Or a name you prefer to be referred to as?”_

_This is what he’d wanted to avoid, although he figured it was inevitable. He shook his head, somewhat defeatedly. Now, here came the explaining part, he’d have to—_

_”Alright. Well, if you ever come up with one, feel free to let me know. Or, if you’d like for me to come up with one for you, tell me when you’ve come to that decision, and we can do that instead.” He smiled understandingly. “Whichever you prefer, and whenever you’re comfortable with it.”_

_The spoon rattled against the ceramic as the boy dropped the utensil into it, astounded. Why hadn’t he forced him to explain? Even if he’d sensed his discomfort at the mention of the name issue, shouldn’t that have sparked his curiosity far enough to question him even further? Why did the man seem so authentically proud that he seemed to be accepting his offers of protection? Why did he willingly provide him with so many choices? Why was this man speaking to him as an equal, rather than an inferior, inept child who deserved to be treated as such? Was this a dream? Would he wake up and still be confined to the hideaway on the road, or concealed away in the basement of_ their _house? No, even the recesses of his mind would be that cruel...correct?_

 _I...” he began, but for once, he couldn’t articulate the correct words to describe what he desired to say. What_ did _he even want to say? Although he’d found himself in plenty of situations that were previously completely foreign to him—constantly so, in recent days—he usually formulated a plan to deal with those accordingly. Why couldn’t he do that now? Why was his body submitting to its natural reactions, his eyes widening and his throat tightening? Why was any of this...happening?_

_Watari, or rather, Wammy at the moment, from what he’d told him, seemed to be waiting for him to say something, but when he came to the realization that he wasn’t actually going to, he filled in the gaps with his own suggestion. “If you’re done with that,” he began, gesturing toward the empty tea cup with his amiable eyes, “then I’d like to show you something.” Hand outstretched once more, Wammy stood, patiently waiting for the boy to join him. His expression said it all—if he so chose to._

_The boy stood hesitantly and took his hand, as he had not long before, and followed the man where he went, only a few steps behind._

_“We’ll just be taking a short tour.”_

_Along the way, they visited a kitchen, a larger dining room, a room filled with desks and computers, some of what appeared to be classrooms, a living room, and one filled with...children? He turned his neck upward to glance at the face of the man thougtfully who was still beside him, still holding his hand. Maybe this place was...actually legitimate?_

_You may interact with them,” the man informed him, a gentle smile crossing his face. “If you wish to,” he added, after feeling the tightening of the small hand upon his own. “What do you think?”_

Soon enough, ‘if you wish’s transformed into ‘here you are’s or knowing bouts of silence, although the implication still blatantly remained, and ‘would you like’s turned into ‘this puzzle may suit your interests’, and later ‘this looks like a that case you would enjoy’, but the initial insinuation stayed solid, always echoing silently in the context of each offer. 

_”I think I’ll like it here, Wammy.”_

\---

Clack. 

Clack. Clack. Clack. 

Clack clack clack clack clack clackclackclackclackclack _clackclackclackclackclackclackclackclack—_

Light groaned in annoyance, stretching his limbs. God, how long was Ryuuzaki going to keep him up tonight, typing carelessly away on his laptop? He was under the impression that he’d almost (keyword: almost) broken the eccentric man out of the habit, however, he was apparently mistaken, as he’d woken him up once more, in the same manner. 

He flipped onto his back, ready to turn over and give the apathetic detective a piece of his mind. “Ryuu—”

Instead of a spindly fingers tapping relentlessly against a keyboard, and a pale face dully illuminated by a laptop screen, he was met with dark, empty space. Looking downward, to confirm his suspicions, he realized he was resting at a height quite elevated from the floor. 

_Right._

Memories of the day so far began to reappear in his mind as he sighed quietly in response to the revelation. Unfortunately, this hadn’t been a nightmare, though he’d been holding on to what now appeared to be a somewhat naive hopefulness that none of this had been real. 

What had the tapping sound been, then?

 _Oh,_ he thought, as he felt his lower jaw vibrating against the other. _My teeth._

Somewhat understanding what Ryuuzaki had been feeling earlier, he halfway considered considered putting his sweater back on, then remembered the reason he’d removed it in the first place—to prevent the dirt stains which were a result of his and L’s shared fall from staining his mattress and pillow. Perhaps he should have grabbed a shirt for himself when he’d decided to do so for L. Forcing himself into a sitting position, he pressed forward, legs dangling off the edge of the bed. 

Aaaand here it came. Once he began his descent, before he reached the floor, L would most likely be tossing unfounded accusations in his direction. Holding his breath and exhaling slowly, he stepped down the rungs, surprised that the nettled detective hadn’t said anything yet. By the time he reached the floor, he was beyond shocked. _Was L actually that pissed at him that he was holding back, using the silent treatment as a fallback option?_

Once he walked around the side of the bed, his breathing hitched. The elder of the two was in the same position as he was prior to going to bed, however, his chin was resting forward, upon his knees, and his eyes were shut. Briefly musing whether L actually took his advice and slept, he quickly ruled that option out, coming to the conclusion that he must have fallen asleep by accident. 

_L..._ Of course he’d fallen asleep; he had to be drained, even for the insomniac that he was. Between not sleeping for days, focused on the Yotsuba lead they found (which seemed silly to even think about, considering the situation they were currently thrown into), and the hellish nightmare he’d experienced this morning, it was no wonder that he was exhausted. In that regard, the teen sympathized with him. Maybe sleeping would give him a clearer mind, at least Light hoped so. 

Inching toward the door, he made a careful effort to avoid making a ruckus. Aside from Ryuuzaki needing rest, he wasn’t in the mood for conflict, especially not that of a physical nature. He opened the door slowly, silently praying that it didn’t creak in the process. _Please don’t wake up. Please don’t wake up._

The hallway of the sleeping quarters was primarily empty, and most of the doors were closed. _It seems that mostly everyone had the same idea I did._ At the end, however, around the corner, a familiar figure stood with its arms crossed against its chest, back leaning heavily against the wall. 

_Of course._ Leave it to Hirota to appoint himself as the chief of rations, yet play it off as simply relaxing. Light had only met him hours ago, but he hadn’t exactly done much to hide his controlling nature, rather, he’d overtly demonstrated it in front of everyone. 

The teen rolled his eyes and stepped past the overbearing jerk, entering the clothing storage space. Upon wandering to the section that he’d taken Ryuuzaki’s shirt from earlier, he took notice of the fact that almost half of that specific pack was missing. _Good._ At least everyone wasn’t afraid of Hirota, despite his earlier display, which, odds were, was an attempt to enact fear in most. 

As he stood up, another half opened package caught his eye. _Blankets._ Perfect, this was exactly what he needed. He instantly swooped down and opened it further, pulling out one for himself, and one for...his roommate. Although they were thin, and quite coarse, it was of little surprise, considering the quality of everything else in the bunker. _Maybe he should grab two for each of them?_ Scanning the room, he realized that the amount of blankets severely paled in comparison to the amount of clothing. One for each would have have suffice. 

As he was draping the fabric over his arm, he noticed that Hirota had angled himself closer in front of the door, allowing him to peer in the room and monitor Light more closely. He wanted to question him with a brittle _May I help you?_ but it wouldn’t be beneficial to him, especially when he was so worn out, and practically no one else was around. Instead, he walked out, making sure to keep the three items he toted with him on full display within his arms, eyes locked steadily on Hirota’s own, almost as if challenging the man. After a brief staring match, he wordlessly walked back to his shared room, peeved. 

_Good,_ he thought, shutting the door behind him as silently as possible. _Ryuuzaki is still asleep._

Tossing a blanket onto his bunk and carefully sitting the other beside Ryuuzaki, he buttoned the new pajama shirt over his own, smoothing it out with a single brush of his hand downward. Just before stepping onto the rungs of the small ladder, upon second thought he approached Ryuuzaki again and opened the blanket he’d brought for him and draped it around the hunched over man’s shoulders, cautious not to disturb him. _So you don’t freeze to death_ , he thought, sardonically, _since apparently, you’d allow that to happen._

Back atop his own mattress, wrapped in his blanket, he tried to relax, but quickly found himself unable to. _Had he really just witnessed a man die with his own eyes?_ Well, not exactly with his own eyes, but the knowledge of what had happened mere feet above him was clearly present. _A man he knew, on top of that?_ Of course, Light had desired a job in the NPA since he was old enough to fully comprehend what his father did for work, and naturally, he’d deal with cases that involved gruesome death related incidents. However, that didn’t exactly prepare him to deal with the death of someone he’d known for months now, someone who was always helpful and hospitable, even if that was what he was paid to do. _Someone who didn’t deserve it._

Naturally, he’d predicted the effect this would have on himself earlier, as he’d been aware that the weight of what had occurred would be dumped upon him suddenly, later, after the effects of the adrenaline ran their course and died down—which was now. He rolled his eyes. _I know myself so well._

Ryuuzaki’s reaction...was he just shaken up, as well, or was he _actually_ considering this as ‘solidified’ evidence, as he’d called it, that he was a mass murderer? The way L had behaved was so... _unlike_ him...well, unlike the way he’d ever presented himself to Light. Not even mentioning the bitter, hateful gleam in his eye...the unsettling thought made Light shiver beneath his covers. He sincerely hoped that this wasn’t the detective’s true ‘personality’, hidden away by bogus kind greetings, and phony niceties all the while. 

So what _was_ the reason L reacted as if he were taking it so personally, besides the fact that he believed Light to be Kira? Though thinking he was such for the entire time he’d known him, he’d always treated him with basic benevolence and respect, even what he thought had been admiration, at times. 

Something about this was definitely more off than usual. Ryuuzaki had made that one remark about how Watari’s death would be ‘chipping away’ at him. Was it just because he seemed to be L’s right hand man? He had been quick to correct him earlier when he’d referred to Watari as a butler, disregarding everything else he’d said at that moment, and zeroing in on that statement. 

_Almost as if he’d...taken offense to it?_ Granted, Watari’s duties _had_ been much more than that of a typical butler, but would that cause such a stoic, unmovable character like L to be _offended_ by such? Maybe because it wasn’t long after the passing away of the elderly man? L didn’t seem to be personally affected by the timing of death and all things related to such, in fact, he was rather tactless and blunt in nearly all manners related to death. The probability of his actions being due to the fact that he worked alongside Watari was low, considering the fact that he couldn’t imagine Ryuuzaki behaving that way, had it been Matsuda in the old man’s position. So, was it just this specific case, or...?

 _Could it be?_ It seemed very unlike L, but so was the way he’d behaved since...the _incident_. So, maybe it _was_ possible? Did L... _care_ about Watari, beyond a professional level? Using the word ‘L’ and ‘care’ in the same sentence, without the intentions of juxtaposing the two seemed strange enough. _Or was it because it’d be too difficult to find someone trustworthy enough to work with so closely as he did with the elderly man?_ No, that likely wasn’t the reasoning, either, considering how quickly he’d decided the Task Force was trustworthy enough to reveal part of his identity to, in a case where revealing your appearance to someone could mean death. 

So, _did he...?_ L was an odd enough man, working out his motivations for things was difficult enough to be considered a case of its own. But if he did actually find himself to be close to Watari, and then...

_I’m sorry, L._

Not because he was taking fault for what had occurred—because he certainly wasn’t—but he understood how shaken he’d been feeling in regards to the situation. If L cared for Watari, there was no telling how amplified the feeling would be for him. 

Was there a way he could confirm his suspicions? He couldn’t just straightaway ask, as that’d further ‘solidify’ L’s belief that he was Kira, and would be extremely rude in addition, especially if he were truly grieving. 

Perhaps he should try to be kinder to L? He was never overly cruel to the man, but it wouldn’t hurt to be less abrasive with him, especially if he were experiencing personal loss. There was no telling with him, however. In all his eccentricities and oddities, he might find Light’s slight change in behavior to be offensive, not to mention suspicious. 

The fact that L had went completely silent after his miniature rant earlier crossed his mind. Had he been too rough with him, considering the circumstances? He’d just wanted L to understand that he hadn’t intentionally let anyone die, and so stressed, so pressurized, but...

He sighed. In all his genius, L was stubborn, and regardless if he knew beyond a shadow of doubt Light wasn’t to blame, he more than likely wouldn’t be able to dispose of his theory with such haste and ease. There’d be no getting through to him, at least in the near future. The odds were against him, at least for now. 

Disturbed, he turned on his side and pulled his blanket tighter around him. He wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep, that he was sure of. However, he was far from in the mood to mingle with any of the general populace of the bunker who might still be awake and active. 

\---

After solely thinking for an indiscernible amount of time, he felt the bed shift beneath him and instantly tensed at the feeling. _L was awake._

Hearing a muffled ruffling sound, then the sound of something hitting a flat surface, he saw a black, wild mound peek up from underneath the side of his mattress, and then make its way to the door. 

_It’d be best to get it over with._

“Ryuuzaki...?” he said quietly, almost asking for permission to speak.

“I thought I informed you that I wasn’t keen on dealing with you at any time in the foreseeable future.”

“I know, Ryuuzaki, but—”

“I said no. However, it isn’t surprising in the least that Kira chooses to ignore the desires of others, in order to push his own agenda upon them.”

“Will you just listen to me?!” Light snapped momentarily, but quickly regained control over his volume after taking a few deep breaths, and shortly shutting his eyes. Now was not the time to lose his cool with Ryuuzaki, as tempting as it might be. That wouldn’t be of any help to the situation all, and would only increase the now growing and strained tension between the two of them. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. Now, and earlier, too. I just wanted to know if we could talk for a few minutes. Just so we—”

“If I’m not mistaken, Kira, this is the third time I’ve said no, yet you’re still attempting to force whatever opinion you have, that I’ve likely already heard plenty of times, upon me.”

I’m _not_ Kira, _damn it,_ he was practically aching to say, but that wouldn’t help his cause at all. “Would you just hear me out? You keep interrupting me, and you won’t even look at me.”

“There,” he turned around, facing the demanding presence. “I wasn’t aware that it was required to see you in order to properly ‘hear’ you out, but there you are. Now that you have the same amount of my attention that you previously had, what exactly is the reason that you insist upon bothering me so intently?”

Light’s breathing hitched at the sight before him. God, Ryuuzaki looked worn out. His eyes were red rimmed, as Light occasionally saw right before the insomniac succumbed to sleep after staying up for far too many nights in a row, except the rims were darker, color much more intense than usual. He faltered, his partially preprepared speech flying out of the proverbial window instantly. “I’m sorry,” he heard himself breathe out, apparently unable to manage anything further, although he wasn’t exactly sure all what he was sorry for. 

“Sorry for killing people? It’s nice that you’ve finally come to your senses, Kira-kun, but unfortunately, I am unable to act on your confession at the momen—”

“No, I’m not!” Light exclaimed, halfway ready to tear his hair out in frustration. Any other time, his fist would have collided with Ryuuzaki’s jaw by now, but his assumptions, combined with the man’s current appearance quelled the initially strong temptation to do so. “I mean, I’m not Kira,” he added sheepishly, realizing the mistake in his choice of language. 

“Alright, so back to square one, then. Well, if his highness has nothing of substance to add, may I be excused to go to the restroom?”

“No. I mean yes, just hold on a second. Actually, just stop entirely.” He sighed. “I just want us to get along, Ryuuzaki. I know we’ve never exactly been the best of friends, but we’re going to be stuck here together for what’s going to be quite a while. The atmosphere out there is...polarizing, to say the least, and we only have each other, from what I see. It would be beneficial for both of us if we put our differences aside,” _Your differences_ , he wanted to say, “and get along, at least until this is over.”

“Was this your goal?”

“What?”

“Your goal. For us to be forced to rely upon each other. Is that why—”

“ _Damn it_ , Ryuuzaki, I didn’t kill Watari, and I didn’t intentionally leave him to die! Why are you being _so_ unreasonable about this? I’m very sorry that it happened, but there isn’t much else I can do! You saw what happened with _your own eyes_ Can you just believe me about this, if anything?”

Silence hung in the air for a few moments, as L lifted his finger to his mouth, chewing upon the pad of it. “So Kira wants me to allow some sort of ‘trust’ to build up between the two of us, when we are in a dire situation, each only having the other to rely upon? Or, at the very least, that is what L should believe?” 

Light thought he heard him scoff. 

“ _No_ , Ryuuzaki, L _should_ believe that Light—who is not Kira, by the way—wants to be at least distantly amiable with him again, and be allowed to look out for him. L _should_ believe that Light has _no_ ulterior motive, at least not one that he hasn’t mentioned at this point. Yes, trust would be an aspiration, but I’m not expecting that anytime soon.”

“L would never trust Kira.”

 _God_ , this was exhausting, not that he’d expected anything exceedingly different. If his suspicions were correct, they were the reason L was acting so rash and out of character. He sighed resignedly, softening his voice. Yelling at the already agitated man wouldn’t do anything but vex him further and almost guarantee his future disagreeability. “Yes, that’s correct. But could L trust _Light_? Or at least try to get along with him, for the time being?” He sighed once more. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

\---

L stared at the spent, yet ever persistent youth before him. Was he truly being genuine? Though it was always difficult to tell with Light—being a phenomenal actor with a stunning ability to correctly read a room and from there, assess the most proper way to behave—L himself was hard to trick, and he knew it. 

The sincerity and exhaustion in the teen’s eyes reminded L of the now distant memory of the same boy, hands and feet restrained as he knelt in the small cell he himself had chosen to be confined inside of, and the stark difference between him at that moment, and the Light Yagami he’d been speaking to only moments before. The one prior had seemed cunning, deceitful and always had a knowing, teasing glint in his eyes that practically screamed _’I know you know, but there’s nothing you can do about it’,_ with an air of superiority that was directed solely at L, mocking him, and entirely undetectable to anyone else. It was an contrast to the one that, only minutes later, begging to be released, and demanding for the cameras to zoom in on his eyes, only to see the alleged authenticity within them. Yes, Light had seemed very genuine then, and had ever since. 

However, that memory seemed to be ages old, although the events had only occurred a few months prior. In addition, there was always room for doubt with Light. 

Regardless if he were being honest at the moment, he had still been Kira at one point—L was sure—and the points he’d mentally made earlier regarding why Light was surely of guilt still stood. He would not allow anything waver his perception; that was not a problem. Light Yagami was still the enemy, and that hadn’t changed. 

He’d theorized that Light had transferred the power that allowed him to kill—possibly taking his memories with it—when his attitude drastically shifted (that only he, for some reason, took serious note of). He’d also theorized that someone like Light, someone like _Kira_ would not give up on their precious, endgame goals, especially when they seemed so hellbent on achieving a godlike status among men. That meant Light would have hoped for his powers to return, eventually, and Light, _Kira_ , didn’t seem like one to place so much confidence on chance, unless they were forced to. 

That meant Light would have engineered for his powers to return to him at some point. _Had the nuclear bomb shattered his plans? Or were they somehow still intact?_ L wasn’t sure how Kira killed, so he hadn’t a clue in the slightest, in that regard.

_If Light were to regain both his powers and his memories, he wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter L, given the circumstances. No one here had a clue what exactly he was under suspicion for, or that he was under suspicion at all, but even if they had, L had more than an inkling of surety that they’d believe Light over himself. Go figure._

Light could get away with plenty in this situation, and brush whatever happened off as a grief stricken friend, even to the Task Force, who’d eat it up like breakfast. 

A rogue Light- _Kira_ , without the checks and balances of society that were previously in place, would be quite dangerous, definitely much more so than before. A Kira without most major limits that previously confined him and his resulting actions. 

This wasn’t good. How was he to prevent his own demise, if both Light’s power and memories were to return? Under the assumption that they were truly missing, that is. 

There was no foolproof answer. 

His best bet was to get in good standings with Light once more, regardless of how it miffed him. If he were lucky, he could possibly find out more of the boy’s weaknesses, and, although unlikely, place himself in a better position so that Light would avoid killing him The latter was much more unlikely than the former, but it was of little risk and held the reward of his life if it actually worked (although he didn’t bank much faith in it, of course). It seemed that he was on the right track since the beginning of the Kira case. 

L sighed outwardly, mentally preparing himself for what he was going to resign himself to doing once more. He wanted nothing more than to see the ignorant boy who believed himself to be a god behind bars, but this was the best solution he had in mind that would possibly lead to that conclusion. _I’ll do it for you, Wammy. I will serve justice for the injustice that you unrightfully suffered._

Quickly switching his attentions back to the present, he cleared his throat, ready to speak. Oh, Light was still talking, trying to convince him to make nice with him. That wasn’t a surprise. 

“...would be beneficial for both of us in the case that anything unexpected would happen. We both like to be prepared. And, Ryuuzaki, I know we fight sometimes, but besides that, I don’t want to hurt you, and I don’t even want to fight you, half of the time. Right now, I just want everything to be at least oka—”

“Fine.”

“Huh?” The boy’s eyes widened, almost as if he hadn’t believed what he’d heard. 

“I believe that I said the word ‘fine’, Ki—Yagami-kun.”

The younger of the two’s mouth remained open for a second. “You mean, you’re actually—”

“Yes. I will consider it, for the time being. You do make a convincing point, in regards to our partnership being mutually beneficial. However, that doesn’t mean I’m entirely fond of the idea. I do expect you to hold up the ‘distant’ part of the deal you mentioned earlier.” Yes, he’d have to start slowly. Light was no idiot. Automatically agreeing with the boy and everything he said would definitely raise several red flags, and cause Light to be extremely suspicious of his true motives. It would for certain have to remain a gradual process. _Here we go._

\---

Though his face remained mostly impassive, Light internally beamed. He hadn’t expected Ryuuzaki to accept so quickly, but maybe this was proof that just been feeling rather moody, or that he’d actually seen reason, at least partially. Plus, L had used his name. Sure, he wasn’t on a first name basis with him again, but that was okay. Small steps were acceptable for now, especially considering the dire circumstances. 

“I will, Ryuuzaki. I’ll give you the space that you need. As long as—”

“Yes. Sorry to interrupt, but may I please go to the restroom now? I’ve been waiting all this while.”

“Oh! Of course,” Light replied. “Sorry about that, Ryuuzaki.” _God, he sounded like Matsuda, just more composed. Was he really itching for such a small inkling of familiarity that badly?_

“Yes.”

The older man exited the room, leaving Light alone to process what had occurred. 

_It isn’t the exact same as before, of course. But at least it’s_ something _familiar. Something closer to normalcy_

He picked at his blanket lightly, silently hoping the conclusions he’d come to not long ago were incorrect. 

_I hope you’re okay, Ryuuzaki. For both of our sakes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! :)
> 
> There was a bit of a wait between updates lol. I write, edit, and post this story from my phone, and although that isn’t wildly difficult, I’m much more accustomed to using an actual computer.
> 
> I cut this chapter down a bit, since I didn’t want to upload a 15k word chapter, lol. However, the next chapter should be out soon. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

It had been about 20 minutes or so since Ryuuzaki had returned from the restroom, but neither of the two had spoken up in that small stretch of time. Light had half hoped, albeit to no avail, that the conversation would pick up where they left off, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak once the seemingly solemn man had reentered the room. Neck curved downward, eyes straight ahead, he’d approached the bottom bunk and crouched, as if their prior discussion had never taken place. Light (correctly, this time) assumed that L was merely sitting perched on the mattress, doing nothing in particular. The man would certainly not rest, as that’d be giving in to the teen’s wishes. _Naturally._

Light desperately wanted to approach the other and try to further smooth things out between the two of them, but the promise to remain distant rang clear in his head. If he violated that agreement, then Ryuuzaki might call their entire truce off. 

And of course, Ryuuzaki wouldn’t be the one to approach him first. Although not exactly through intentional means, the majority of people catered to Light very willingly. This was quite a major change for him, and certainly had been, ever since he met the eccentric detective. 

Not that he expected Ryuuzaki to grovel at his feet, nor did he want him to. He wouldn’t be L if he did. He suspected that besides his accomplishments, intelligence, determination, willingness to do whatever he must to solve a case he was dedicated to, and despite their fighting—it was one of the reasons he respected L so much. _You don’t perceive me the way everyone else does. You want me arrested; you want retribution for crimes I didn’t commit, but you_ understand _me._ He tuned in for any slight movements or any indication that L was ready to further discuss their arrangement, but was unsurprisingly met with complete and utter silence. _I wonder, is it the same for you? Or was it, before all of this happened?_

Light shook his head. Mulling over such trivialities was fruitless, especially when the one in question was sitting below him, likely fuming at his existence, practically refusing to speak to him. 

_God,_ this was going to be dreadful. He was going to be stuck in an underground bunker for weeks, possibly months, with a man that hated him and wanted him dead, swearing to put him in prison one day, another guy who, for some inexplicable reason, declared himself, in an unspoken (or rather, quite loud) manner as the ‘leader’ of the entire hoard, and a bunch of other strangers who were certainly as thrilled as Light was to be there, if not even lesser so. _Great._

Not to mention the shared bathrooms and showers. Of course, he’d shared a bathroom with Ryuuzaki, and one with his family, although _literally_ not as closely, but he imagined that it’d be much more difficult to do so now. 

And the _food._ The freeze dried food. Light wasn’t the type to complain about the essentials—he was merely grateful for his basic needs to be met—however, although he hadn’t searched the room shelf by shelf, the choices within it seemed pretty bland. That definitely wasn’t the main source of his gripe at the situation, in fact, it wasn’t really one at all. Ryuuzaki’s attitude with him was definitely the main one, only second to the fact that he himself was in this situation in the first place. 

_Oh, right. Ryuuzaki._ What was the sugar obsessed screwball going to do without any sweets stashed in the bunker? Light would have found the concept humorous, had the reason for it not been that they were trapped in an underground bunker because the area above them had recently been struck by a nuclear bomb. Yes, that certainly drained the notion of any possible comedic value. 

Really, though, what was he going to do? Wracking through his memories, Light couldn’t remember an instance in which he’d witnessed the odd man eat something that _wasn’t_ sweet. Of course, he’d seen him consume fruits— _natural sugar_ —but those were mainly strawberries and different types of melons. Although he hadn’t paid close attention to L’s dietary habits, he was almost certain that the man hadn’t eaten much that differed from the former in his presence, and likely in the near or distant past. 

The teen sighed. Was he really so bored as to contemplate over Ryuuzaki’s nutritional (or lack thereof) intake? It seemed so. 

Everything seemed so out of place, so out of his control. Hell, what he’d do to wake up still chained to Ryuuzaki, who’d be tapping restlessly away on his keyboard as the sun rose over the horizon, preparing to begin working for the day. Unashamedly, he’d almost prefer waking up back in that confinement cell again. Of course, he was more confined, more restricted in his movements, but at least L didn’t actively hate him then, to the point of attempting to avoid him. Even at the height of the Kira accusations, L wanted to keep him in his sight. He’d always viewed it to be excessive, annoying, but he’d give anything to have it back instead of this colossal mess of a circumstance. 

If only this were a nightmare.

\---

After an hour or so of silence, Light stood up and climbed down the ladder to the bunk, heading toward the door. _Whatever. At least I have this sort of freedom._ Hand on the door, he gave a parting glance toward Ryuuzaki, who didn’t even bother to budge a centimeter, staring straight ahead, appearing to be a statue—if not for his actively moving feet, which were sliding atop and beneath each other, rhythmically. 

_Well._

He exited the door and shut it behind him carefully—for what reason, he wasn’t entirely sure, since his ‘roommate’ was awake this time around, but alas. 

The hallways were no longer empty, and were currently bustling with minor activity—some chatting with what seemed to be strangers about their surprise at the situation, others discussing the possible reasons that spawned the attack. Almost out of earshot, Light heard a man theorizing that the world was ending, and the nuclear bomb was very start of the oncoming apocalypse— _right._

After stopping at the thankfully empty restroom, he headed toward the food storage room, that he found a few others occupying as well. Not being particularly picky, he grabbed the first can to his side, and read its label. _Soup._ This would have to do. 

Upon exiting, he saw a previously unopened, large, cardboard box, now split wide opened. ‘Protein bars’, the packaging read as he closer approached it. _Peanut butter and chocolate,_ he read. Would that suffice for Ryuuzaki’s unrelenting sugar craving? No, it certainly wouldn’t but it’d be _something._ Regardless, it weren’t as if he could bring any to the man. L would almost certainly refuse them, citing that they were poisoned, or something of that nature. Shrugging, he sat the bar back into the box alongside the rest of its companions. 

In the hallway, he looked in both directions, contemplating which way to go. If he turned, then walked further across the hall, he could go back to his shared room with L. If not, he could go through a few doors and travel downstairs to visit the lounge area, and eat there. Both had their pros and cons (mostly cons), and while he didn’t want the burden of dealing with a bunch of strangers at the moment, he figured it was much more preferable than sitting on the awkwardly silent bunk above Ryuuzaki, which was oddly constraining and suffocating, although quiet. Yes, the lounge would be much better. _Besides, I promised him space. I’ll give him that._

There were a handful of people already in the lounge—about 10 or so, he approximated without counting, all mostly alone. Taking the seat closest to the corner, that was also coincidentally the furthest away from everyone else, he sat, eating the cold soup directly from the can with a spoon. The low temperature of the liquid caused a greasy, slimy feeling to slide down his throat at the speed of molasses with each swallow—which was rather gross, in essence—but it wasn’t as if anything could be done about it. _Just another price to pay for staying alive in current times._

After spending a few minutes observing people enter and exit the room (more of the former than the latter, however) Light finally stood up to leave, when a loud, familiar voice, shattered the few moments of tranquility, or whatever screwed up version this was closest to it, automatically causing him to lock his jaw. _For fuck’s sake, what did he have to do to have a few moments of peace around here?_

As if on cue, Hirota stepped into the room, a small group of people surrounding him as he obnoxiously boasted about the details of some story regarding how he survived some ‘disastrous’ situation—Light didn’t care enough to pay attention, and, quite frankly, wanted the irksome chitchat to stop as soon as possible. He stood to leave, disposing of the empty can. Hell, he’d sit in the clothing storage or med room if he had to. 

While walking to the exit, he heard Hirota guffaw loudly—probably some sort of shameless self praise, generously detailing his own ‘accomplishments’. A couple of those around him had polite, nervous smiles on their faces, to which Light could almost feel the discomfort brewing from. He shook his head. Self awareness was a blessing, he concluded. Conversely, Hirota looked quite pleased with himself. _Maybe it’s a curse._

Upon second glance at the increased level of uneasiness etched upon the faces of those he previously took note of, he reaffirmed his first theorization. _No, it’s certainly a blessing._

Grateful he wouldn’t have to hear the seemingly endless one-way conversation anymore, or at least for the time being, he stepped a foot out of the door, on his way to search for an empty room to be alone with his thoughts in. Unfortunately, those hopes were prematurely cut short when he heard a voice call out from behind him. 

“Hey!” It yelled. “Hey, you!”

Not wanting to respond to such a disrespectful ‘greeting’, if you could even refer to it as such, or rather deal with the crude moron at all, he continued along his path, feet suddenly moving faster to take him wherever he was even planning on going. 

“Hey!” the voice repeated, then suddenly got louder. _Great, he’s following me._ “I’m talking to you!” 

Proceeding straight ahead, he continued to try his best to tune the man out, and was almost successful in doing so, until he felt a light tug at his sleeve. Turning around, he identified the perpetrator as a woman who was just beside Hirota, but hadn’t seemed uncomfortable or anything of the sort when she was, now with a small smile lining her face. _Smiling immediately after such a tragedy? I guess everyone copes in different ways._

“Excuse me, but he’s talking to you.”

 _Well, it wasn’t as if he could ignore the brute now._ “Thank you,” he replied kindly to her, though without matching her smile. “Yes?” he asked, now turning to face the man in question. 

“I never did get your name.”

 _My name? Yeah, that’d be the polite thing to request, given myself and just about everyone else in the bunker knows his, but the brute doesn’t seem to be the type to adhere to proper social standards._ That left... _Kira?_ The man certainly didn’t fit the profile for the first, or likely the second Kira, and a member of the Yostuba corporation was either the third Kira, or had ties to him. Could it be...? _No, he didn’t exactly fit the profile of a businessman—but appearances could be deceiving, L is certainly testament to that. Unless...Hirota had stricken a deal with one of the Yostuba members?_

No, he was just being paranoid. This dunce likely had nothing to do with Kira, and was just looking for a way to enact some sort of power over him, by preventing him from leaving. Probably.

“Yagami,” he replied simply, not bothering with his first name, as he’d be thoroughly offended if Hirota assumed the privilege to be able to refer to him as such. 

“Yagami,” the man repeated, staring square at him, almost as if in deep deliberation over the small, newfound piece of information. _Seriously, what the hell was up with this guy and enacting staring matches?_ They’d just gotten here, after literally being struck with misfortune, henceforth lucky to be alive, and this guy was already trying to pronounce his authority over others in the immediate time following. _What a tool._

Hirota failed to comment further, so after a few tense moments, Light turned around and continued his journey onward, finally offering a polite smile to the woman who had called his attention to the situation—who also now looked very confused. 

Heading up the stairs, he decided upon staying in the med room. The food storage room would probably have people mulling about constantly, and the clothing room would likely have a few visitors, making the med room his best bet. 

The med room was empty, as expected. ahe instantly felt a manner of long awaited peace wash over him once he closed the door behind, although there was nobody else nearby. 

He took a look around, glancing at the cabinets and drawers surrounding him. _It wouldn’t hurt to familiarize myself with the tools and equipment while I’m here. Better to be safe than sorry._ He rummaged through the shelves, making sure to place everything back in their respective places when he was done analyzing them. Bandages, IV bags, wound disinfectant, more potassium iodine pills...nothing out of the ordinary.

When he was done, he sat upon one of the two stretchers provided in the room, bringing his knees to his chest in somewhat corresponding imitation of L. _No wonder he sits like this, it’s calming._ He rested both arms atop his legs, laying his cheek upon his arms. _I couldn’t stay like this for nearly as long as he does, though._

The door suddenly swung open, pulling him out of his thoughts, when he was faced with a man who looked equally surprised to see him there, but quickly recovered his expression back to passivity. _What is someone else doing here?_

“I’m sorry,” Light said, quickly rising to his feet and dusting himself off. “Am I in your way?”

The other bit his lip, seeming to focus on every other spot in the room besides Light himself. “No,” he replied, after a moment. “No, I’m just looking.”

“Oh,” Light breathed out, waiting for a few seconds to see if the other man would make a move. After nothing occurred, he stepped toward the door, looking to exit. “Excuse me,” he requested politely. 

The man didn’t budge, instead fixating his eyes on a specific part of the room. Light followed his line of vision, only to find he was staring at the wall. _Odd. Looks like Ryuuzaki isn’t alone, at least in this regard._

“Excuse me,” he replied, his voice still respectful, but with a hint of force that wasn’t present the first time. “I’m just trying to exit.”

The man slowly turned his neck, staring down at Light, and waited in silence for a few beats before speaking. “Yeah,” he finally answered, stepping aside. “Go for it.”

“...Thanks,” Light said, somewhat hesitantly, than made his way back down the hall. People might’ve been behavior oddly because of the whole nuclear warfare situation, but that didn’t mean he wanted to deal with the aftereffects of that. No, he’d head back to his room instead. Hopefully, with his absence, Ryuuzaki would be asleep again, and he could exist in serenity, albeit false and temporary. Nevermind the suffocating feeling if it meant he didn’t have to experience another awkward encounter with strangers that he definitely wasn’t up  
for.

However, before he could reach the door, he was stopped yet again by another voice. 

“Hey,” it called, the undemanding nature and far away distance of its voice pressing him turn around. There was no point in entertaining another call and chase game where he certainly wouldn’t be crowned the victor, once again. 

“Hm?” he replied, hardly able to feign interest in whatever the person would say. 

“Most of the people are in the lounge, and they’re starting sort of a group wide discussion. You might wanna come. Besides, someone said that they wanted _most_ of the people to be there.”

He paused, considering his options. “I’m guessing that someone is Hirota, right?” There was no point in hiding his discontent at the man’s mention, he figured. It’d been on display for the entire underground population to see, earlier. 

“Well, yeah,” the voice replied from down the hall, echoing as it did, the tone implying that it was of no surprise at all, and was rather to be expected. 

“Right,” Light said. _Well, if I go, I’m forced to talk to, or at least listen to Hirota. However, if I don’t, he might try to enact some sort of bunker-wide policy that everyone here would readily accept, since no one wants to speak up to him._ He sighed. _It’s best to go._

“Thanks,” he continued. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

In the distance, the person appeared to nod and turn away. Light turned back to the door handle, pulling it open. _May as well tell Ryuuzaki._

“There’s some sort of a faux meeting going on downstairs, arranged by, you guessed it,” he started, noting the fact that the man was awake. “Both of us should at least be there to see what happens.”

Right as he thought L wouldn’t respond, he heard him speak up, his voice containing a somewhat raspier tinge than usual to it. “I am not interested.”

“I’m not exactly interested either, but it’d be better for both of us to attend, just in case Hirota tries to sneak something in while we aren’t there. It’d be better for us to speak our minds, while we can.”

“I do not wish to interact with anyone.”

“You don’t necessarily have to. You only have to if something they say, or well, _he_ says, mostly affects you. It’s more of a preventive maintenance type of thing.”

“Yagami-kun claims to know me well enough that if anything which is said affects me, he would be able to speak up in lieu of my absence.”

“ _No,_ I don’t know everything about you, I don’t even know anything close to that. Just come to the meeting, for safety’s sake.”

“Yagami-kun also claimed that he wanted to be allowed to look out for me. This is his opportunity to do so.”

“Yes, I’m looking out for you by telling you what’s going on. Come on, Ryuuzaki, it’ll be starting any minute now, if it hasn’t already.”

“No.”

He moved to grasp the stubborn man’s shoulder, but remembered what happened last time he attempted to touch him, and quickly withdrew his hand before it could make contact. “Please,” he said. “It’s for your own benefit, Ryuuzaki. Let’s go, come on.” _God, he’d done more begging in the past few hours than he had in his entire life._

“Yagami-kun is very adamant about my attendance of this meeting. Perhaps he has some ulterior motive?”

In truth, Light didn’t want to attend the gathering alone. With the innate internal instability naturally borne of a situation like this, combined with the uncertainty of everything that was going on, he preferred to have at least some semblance of familiarity nearby. If it were anyone else, the teen would have preferred to have gone solo, but L was different. L understood him. Even if he disliked, he still recognized him, and that was what mattered. 

_A pillar of support._ Although that was something he’d possessed for quite literally his entire life, this meant something different. _You don’t blindly support me because of my looks, or due to some idealized version of me you have stored in your mind. Aside from the accusations, you_ know _me, and that means more than anything any one of those obsessed admirers could offer me._ He immediately ceased his line of thinking. Since when had he become so sappy about the man who promised he’d be his downfall, one day?

He swallowed back a loud exhale, and shut his eyes for a moment. The new experiences to come were uncharted seas, and quite frankly, they made him nervous. Not because he thought he couldn’t sail them alone, because he for a fact that he could, but it didn’t seem as comfortable, nor as worthwhile.

For the first time in his life, he was in a situation that was almost entirely out of his control, one that he couldn’t finagle to his own liking. Even when he was in confinement, he had the hope that if he spoke to Ryuuzaki, and _really_ got him to listen, to _understand,_ then he would free him. Now, the same man hardly wanted to speak to him, and was currently refusing to look at him. 

Granted, Light hadn’t experienced personal loss, if that was what L truly was undergoing, after all. Of course, if he was, then it just made it all the more difficult to reach the man. _I can’t get through to you. I’m trapped._

It went without saying that he could certainly survive without Ryuuzaki’s company, as well as anyone else’s. However, he’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t enjoy the eccentric man’s presence in the times that he wasn’t spitting rapid fire accusations at him, attempting to trick him into ‘confessing’ to being a mass murderer, and intentionally doing things he knew would be bothersome to him. No, Light rather preferred the moments when they were alone at night, after the task force had gone home, and silence would fill the air, but it was _comfortable_ silence—something he’d never experienced with anyone besides himself. 

Occasionally, L would break the silence by making a quip, or a sarcastic remark—although one he wouldn’t typically make when the task force was around—and Light would counter with one of his own, to which L would reply to with a small smirk, which Light would respond to with one of his own, immediately. At times, they’d continue the exchange, lightheartedly bantering until they both naturally tired of it.

Yes, those were the moments Light preferred. Those in which they were both authentic, the short but memorable times before they retired (or rather, Light retired) to bed. Those in which they headed to the roof, on L’s request, and while the two never exchanged a word, it was content, until the perfunctory, staple, “Let’s go back,” from L himself.

_I can be myself around you, whatever that actually means. Not the perfected, molded version of myself that everyone else sees, but a more genuine, less filtered version. No one has ever gotten the same reactions out of me that you have. They don’t know how to push and prod at me, at least successfully, like you somehow do. I can speak my mind around you, and you encourage it. Prefer it, even. Because we’re similar, aren’t we?_

“Is Yagami-kun contemplating upon the ulterior motives he has for me to attend the meeting?”

“No!” he exclaimed, his reaction knee jerk. “No, I’m not.” _Not any motives that you’re considering, anyway._

“Hm.” A pause. “In the time that Yagami-kun has been presumably staring at the back of my head, I’ve had a change of mind. I suppose I will go.”

“You will?”

“Yes.”

L stood from his crouched position on the bottom bunk, and finally turned around, eyes still downcast. 

From what Light could see of the man’s eyes, the rims were a far brighter, more intense red hue than earlier, giving off a more stressed appearance than ever. _Ryuuzaki..._

“Well?” L asked, thumb locked tightly between his teeth as his eyes at last met Light’s. “You’re blocking the exit.”

“Oh.” He stepped aside, following L out of the door. They were only a few steps into the hallway before L suddenly turned around, halting Light immediately in his place. 

“I hope you aren’t under the impression that we will be attending together.”

“I...”

“You understand? Very well.” He was close to beginning his trek onward before Light stopped him. 

“Wait, I thought you agreed to us being at least amiable, for the time being.”

“Distantly, Yagami-kun. Those are your own words. I don’t expect you to forgo the meeting entirely, but I trust that you will uphold your end of the agreement. Distant, Yagami-kun.”

“Oh,” he replied. “Right.”

“I’m glad we’ve come to an understanding.”

“Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was cut a bit short as well, but the plot (finally, lol) begins to take off in the next chapter.
> 
> Thanks for reading and have a great day! 💖


	5. Chapter 5

The journey to the lounge area was long and arduous, serving as testament to how strongly L must have truly felt about keeping their newly conceived rules in place. He’d walked off without Light, making it clear that he wanted the other to be in a more than sufficient distance from him. 

Hands stuffed into his pockets, neck angled straight ahead, and back rigidly bent, it would seem as if he were in his own little world. However, Light knew otherwise, and figured that the man was in secret, listening for the sounds of his footsteps to ensure that he refrained from closely approaching him. 

L entered the room, Light a few seconds behind. Upon entrance, the younger noted that most people _were_ indeed present, save for a few that he couldn’t even come close to identifying yet. It was also noteworthy, but of no real surprise that Hirota had situated himself in what wasn’t exactly the dead center of the room, but an area close enough that if he spoke (though Light was sure that would occur regardless of where the man chose to locate himself, the absolute loudmouth that he was), all attention would be divulged upon him, and he’d also easily be able to keep a careful watch on everyone in attendance in return. 

Scoffing, his eyes scanned the rest of the room. No major discussion had yet begun, and while Hirota was making minor conversation with the few in immediate close proximity to him, most others were broken off in different areas of the room, maintaining side conversations amongst themselves. Among those, he heard a few minor whines and sniffles which he identified as crying, however, that wasn’t much of a shock, either. 

However, one of aforementioned cries was louder, higher pitched, and shriller than the rest. Attention successfully grabbed, Light looked over to see a child screaming at the top of her lungs—the child from the foreign family he saw earlier, he noted. He’d believed them to be speaking French at the time, but his ears had still been ringing as an aftereffect of the blast, and their voices were rather hushed, so it’d been a bit difficult to place. 

The woman was currently trying to shush the child, which wasn’t even close to being a successful endeavor, and one of her other children was jumping frustratedly against the wall.

 _My God._ While he did sympathize with the child to a degree, he just wanted the noise to stop. The constant chattering that filled the room, paired with Hirota’s self indulgent sermons were reason enough for the beginning of a headache to develop directly behind his eyes, and the screaming was just the cherry on top. Leaning against the corner of the wall, he did his best to tune the chaotic ensemble out. 

Not long after he did, a pair of shoes that he recognized crossed the floor before his line of vision, almost...seeming to be making their way over to the woman and her children?

 _What the hell is Ryuuzaki doing?_ He’d known the man to be rather blunt, tactless, and was typically all but uncaring about the feelings of others, so he sincerely hoped that he wouldn’t do anything to worsen the situation. Really, it’d be a serious cause for the worsening of his headache and a much unwanted case of second hand embarrassment, maybe even first, considering nearly everyone in the bunker saw him literally _fall_ into the entrance with Ryuuzaki. 

Trying his best not to hold his breath, he watched as Ryuuzaki...knelt in front of the child? The mother looked confused, and the other child turned around, his facial expression similar to his mother’s, until—

_”Qu’est-ce qui te tracasse?”*_

_What?_ So it seemed that they were indeed speaking French. He could only identify the language by accent and a few spare words, so he hadn’t a clue what L was saying, and silently cursed himself for not learning basic French when he had the opportunity to do so, if only to accurately translate what was being said in this moment. 

_”Vous pourriez changer d’avis.”**_

The child’s cries persisted, but quieted considerably. L spoke again, then the child began to wipe her eyes, small whimpers and a reddened, tear stained face the only remaining evidence that she’d ever been howling as intensely as she had.

Not even a moment later, L was digging around on his pocket while he still, then produced a lollipop out of it, and handed it to the girl. _What? I should have known that he still had one in his pocket from this morning. But...giving it to a stranger?_ The girl’s mouth hung open in surprise before she plucked it from his fingers and unwrapped it on the spot. _I never expect him to do something like that, though, lest for a child._

Suddenly looking up and around the room, the mother found Light’s eyes and looked at him questioningly, almost as if searching for approval. _Of course, she saw both of us enter together. She trusts me more than she trusts him, naturally, just based upon our differences in appearance._

He smiled back a tight-lipped, although polite smile, and nodded his head once, signifying that the interaction was alright, and that L wasn’t dangerous (at least in this sense). She returned his smile, and looked down at L from the chair she sat upon, a grin of gratefulness upon her face as he handed her other child one as well, nodding at her and turning away to walk back to where he sat. 

_What was that entire ordeal?_ L never struck him as the type to work well with children, in fact, he’d expect him to despise them with a passion, in a somewhat restrained sort of way. However, despite not knowing what exactly the man was saying, the interaction had almost seemed natural, in a startling fashion. 

Damn, how he wished he could find out what Ryuuzaki had said to the kids. He couldn’t ask the woman due to the fact that he literally couldn’t communicate with her—plus it’d look totally weird, even if he could—and he couldn’t ask L himself. Something, just _something_ told him that there was an inkling of a chance that Ryuuzaki would refuse to respond, and would have a laundry list of allegations prepared for him instead. 

Once Hirota raised his voice and the side conversations consequently died down, a large majority of people began taking seats in spare chairs; the few that didn’t have access to any sitting on the floor. 

Light made his way over to the chair he’d been sitting in earlier, however, that was apparently too close to L, who was at least meters away, crouched on the floor, since he walked further away and sat on the floor in another area. 

The youth bit his lip and prevented himself from sighing, not wanting to show any outward emotion regarding how he truly felt about Ryuuzaki’s newly increased distaste of him. _Whatever. He could only do what he could, at the moment._

Hirota began to address the crowd, as if he were opening an actual meeting, which annoyed Light thoroughly, though he refrained from saying anything about it. As he began talking, the topic of discussion segued into the sleeping arrangements, and how it seemed to be a good thing that everyone was awake at the same time, so they’d all follow a somewhat similar schedule. 

Light could care less, in fact, he couldn’t disagree more. The larger the amount of people that were up and active at one time, the more crowded all of the rooms would be, and the more difficult it would be to get hardly anything done, but alas. He figured—no, he knew—Hirota preferred it this way so he could best keep his eye on everyone. It’d only been a few hours and he had a better grasp on the man’s mentality than he did on that of most of his childhood friends. 

As the discussion pursued, everything from what consituted a need to take supplies from the med room, use of the showers, and a recapping of the proposed sleeping arrangements were discussed, with people chipping in with their ideas and brief comments, until the notion of rationing was inevitably mentioned. Of course, given the earlier display, Hirota certainly wasn’t going to back down, especially given that the majority of the crowd had echoed in Light’s favor at that moment. 

“So, in order to distribute the supplies properly, I suggest that someone should be in charge of seeing who takes what. We don’t want to run out of supplies, and we’ll be limited soon. If someone takes extra, we’ll know who does it.”

The reception of the idea amongst the crowd was mixed, some in favor of the idea, some against it, and most vehemently against the way that Hirota had proposed it would play out.

 _Perfect,_ Light thought, _now’s the perfect time to get the majority on my side._

“It won’t be that big of a deal, as long as no one has anything to hide,” Hirota continued. “No one likes a liar. That’s why the person in charge would be honest, and capable of reporting any theft of extras to us. Also, that person—”

“Would be you?” Light interjected, and the other man seemed to belligerently fall silent. “The person in charge, that you mentioned. Theoretically, it would be you, correct? That’s what it seems like you’re implying.”

“Well,” Hirota continued, after a pause of a few seconds, “whoever the group would select should be that person. I think that’d be best, don’t you?”

“I would, if you weren’t so obviously trying to push yourself to _be_ that person. A group decision would be best, but it looks as if you’re trying to force everyone to support you.”

Hirota clenched his jaw tighter as he spoke. “I thought what I said was clear enough, but I guess it wasn’t. Whoever the _group_ chooses, I’d support. Regardless if that was me, or anyone else, what’s best for everyone is best for me.”

“Right. Like you weren’t hoping that either through fear, or falsely founded trust, you’d get us to support you. Ever since _we’ve_ all gotten here,” he stated, stressing the use of an all-inclusive term, rather than one that was centralized around that of self, “you’ve been trying to assert yourself in everyone else’s affairs. Our affairs. Rallying us up for that tour you entirely took over, dictating how long we should take to familiarize ourselves with what’s currently our _new homes_ , shouting at people who don’t agree with you in efforts to intimidate them, and scaring the children,” he said, gesturing to the French speaking woman and her children. “Really, how low are you? Immediately after such a disaster, too? We would’ve done probably all of those things on our own accords—save the last one—without your interference, and much more comfortably so. It looks like you’re just trying to control and manipulate us all.”

Hirota’s eyes narrowed toward Light, seeming as if cartoonish fumes of smoke would appear to rush from his ears at any second, causing the other to smirk inwardly. _Yes, react badly. Prove my point to everyone in this room._

“Well, if that’s the case, I’d say you’re doing the same! All you’ve done is lie and point fingers at me, so it looks like you want the position for yourself! Doesn’t it seem that way?” he practically demanded, jabbing a finger in his direction. 

_You really are simple minded, aren’t you? It didn’t take much to get you where I wanted you._ “No,” Light replied, shaking his head dolefully, and looking at the ground. “I only want what’s best for all of us. We’re all going through a lot here, and the last thing we need is someone to toy with the sadness and disconnect most of us are probably feeling. In fact, I think the people that should be chosen should be someone who isn’t associated with either of us. A stranger to both, if that makes sense.”

“And _how_ do you know they aren’t biased?” he demanded, through partially gritted teeth. 

“Biased? If they don’t know either of us?” _You already know how this is going to fare for you, don’t you._ “Well, I wouldn’t consider that _biased_ , just having an informed opinion. Unless having a different opinion than you means they’re _biased_?” He shot him an offended look—the rest of his face accurately playing the part, but his eyes twinkling with playful mischief. 

“Not once did I say that!”

“You didn’t have to. Your actions made it clear enough.”

“So _who_ do you propose to do the job? Someone who obviously prefers you?”

“No, not at all. How about...” His eyes appeared as if they were actively searching the room, but he’d already set sight on his target. _Yes, you. You tried to defend me earlier, didn’t you? You didn’t get a chance to, however, because Hirota silently shut you down. He also yelled at you when you were exploring the sleeping quarters. You’re definitely already on my side, and have been proven malleable enough to fit the mold perfectly. You’re the perfect example for this._ “Excuse me? Miss?” he asked, as if just then realizing she were there, watching her eyes widen considerably in what seemed to be unabashed surprise as he did so. “You haven’t spoken a word of your opinion yet, so I don’t think you’re opinionatedly inclined enough to be _biased._ Would you be comfortable with taking the position?”

_That’s partially a lie. She obviously tried to speak her opinion in my favor earlier, but Hirota threatened her silently. However, if he mentions that, he further proves my point and makes himself look more like a jackass. You lose either way, Hirota._

“M-me?” she stuttered, apparently unsure of what to say. “You want me to do it?”

“Only if you’re comfortable with it. _I_ ,” he started, making direct eye contact with the brute. “want everyone here to be comfortable with _our_ decisions, and definitely want to avoid forcing people to do things they have no desire to do.” He turned back to the woman, giving her his full attention. “So, would you like to?” he inquired, his voice polite, and free of all previous indications of mockery and harshness. 

The woman took a moment to think it over, it appeared, then spoke up after a few seconds. “Oh...okay. Sure! I mean...it wouldn’t be a bother.”

“All right. Does anyone have any objections to...” he looked to patiently, in expectation. 

“Utano,” she replied, a small, grateful, yet not very visible smile on her face. 

“Yes. Does anyone have any objections to Utano-san being in charge of the supply inventory, that we so desperately need?”

No objections were made; only the sounds of a few ‘No’s were heard, accompanied by the shakes of even more heads. 

“Well, I suppose that’s settled, then. Unless something about this seems _biased_ to Hirota-san?” To others, the degree to which Light was taunting Hirota wasn’t nearly as obvious as it was to the man himself, and Ryuuzaki, of course, but that could be dealt with later, if the other even cared to speak to him. Regardless, he had a task on hand to complete. _Go on, speak up about how you intentionally shut the woman up earlier for trying to voice her opinion. Or agree with me to seem peaceful and accepting. Either way works, you’re trapped._

“No,” Hirota replied, his jaw fighting to move from its tightly locked position as he spoke. “I have no objection at all.”

“That’s good. Did anyone want to add anything else to the discussion?”

There were mumbles of assent, until Hirota spoke up once more. “I was thinking originally that we might need another person. We have one for the first storage, what about the other?”

Light hummed. “Oh, right. Another for the clothing and bedware room, to make sure that no one stays too warm. You didn’t mention, or even imply that at first, but I guess that can be forgiven. Is anyone up for it?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Light spotted a restless child jumping up and down. _Perfect._ His eyes met that of the two parents. _Hirota embarrassed you both in front of everyone when he told you not to get pregnant during our stay at the bunker earlier. You should also be another good choice. You certainly aren’t fans of his._ He stretched his eyes slightly at them, as if he’d just come to a sudden realization, and was henceforth internally mulling over whether he should speak up or not. _Come on, interpret the signal correctly. Volunteer, so it doesn’t look like I’m trying to handpick everyone._

The two turned to themselves, speaking hushedly, until the man raised his hand at shoulder length and smiled beamingly. “Sure, I’d be more than happy to help.”

“Oh, wow! A second time? That’s very supportive of you, thanks. Any objections this round?” The consensus was the same, except quieter, and Light smirked to himself. “Well, anything else, Hirota-san?”

“I think I should be able to help.”

 _What?_ The voice had come somewhere from the other side of the crowd, nearest the back of it. 

“It was me. I said that I think I should be able to help.” 

_Oh._ He fixated his eyes on the lanky figure. _The guy that walked in on me at the medroom and acted very...strangely afterward._ Why did he wait until now to speak up? Something about their interaction earlier had made Light uneasy, and although the feeling was mostly baseless, besides the prolonged wall staring and the delayed response to Light’s questions at the time, the teen almost didn’t want the man to be in charge of a supply room alone, for reasons even unbeknownst to himself. 

“Well, it’s always nice to have more volunteers. The more the merrier. Maybe you could help Utano-san with the food inventory, if she needs help? Seeing that there are nearly 60 people here, that’ll likely be consuming three meals a day.” He looked to her and she nodded, as if with newfound purpose. 

Something about the man looked disgruntled and offput at the suggestion, but he made no move to offer a rebuttal. “Hm, alright,” he said, though halfway dejectedly. 

“Thanks for offering to help,” Light provided benevolently. 

“That’s _it!_ You’re just manipulating everyone else! You’re doing exactly what you accused me of doing!”

 _Yes, and I’m having the most success with you, especially._ His face turned serious, scoffing at the mere suggestion of such a foul accusation. “I can’t believe you’d accuse me of something so vile while I’m just trying to look out for everyone’s best interests, but I guess that I shouldn’t be surprised. _We’re_ trying to make this situation comfortable and agreeable for everyone involved. _You’re_ trying to do the opposite. Why try to tear something like that down? Because you’re upset that _you_ can’t be in control?”

“ _No!_ You’re trying to make me look like a bad person!”

Various complaints were heard around the room. Instead of what seemed to be a 70/30 split like before, the majority already in Light’s favor, the consensus seemed to be 90/10, if not even better, especially if others that agreed with him were still refraining from voicing his opinions. 

“God, can’t he just let it go? The kid is just clearly trying to get along with him.” 

“Jesus, this Hirota guy is annoying. He just wants us to answer to him. It’s a matter of survival, not a game. Take it seriously.”

“Can you believe this? It should have been over hours ago, but the first guy keeps prolonging it. I’m on the younger dude’s side.”

Light smiled to himself. _Mission accomplished._

“Trying? I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you need any help with that, Hirota-san.” If he doubted his hearing abilities at all, he would have sworn that he heard the other growling. “Does anyone else have anything to add? If not, I think this meeting should officially be adjourned, so we can all go about our business, whatever that may be.”

He turned back to flash a smirk at Hirota that only the man in question saw. 

\---

After he’d exited the lounge, it seemed that a large portion of the others had followed, some stopping to thank him for actually asserting himself on behalf of the general population to Hirota, and giving them a collective voice. With a few smiles, polite bows and handshakes, he headed back to the room he shared with L and sat atop his bunk, hands behind his bed as he relished in his small victory. That was, until he heard the door open and close minutes later. 

However, when no further sounds of footsteps leading to the mattress beneath his own followed, he turned his head toward the door. 

“What’s wrong?” he instinctively asked a sullen faced detective, instantly regretting his choice of words. L could definitely have a lot of choice words to reply to that, none of the possibilities which pleased him one bit.

However, instead of a providing a contemptuous listing of things about their situation and Light himself that he found outright abominable, the detective merely shook his head and bit down on his thumb, averting his gaze. “A lot of things are wrong, Yagami-kun.”

 _Hmm...well, maybe this was a start._ “Any one of them that you want to talk about?” he offered. 

“No,” the other replied, shaking his head once more. “No, not one in particular.”

 _Maybe not._ “Oh,” he recoiled. “Well, if you ever want to—”

“To talk about it with you, I can? I know, Yagami-kun, you’ve made me aware of that fact on at least three separate occasions today.”

 _He’s acting different._ L more openly disapproved of his presence earlier today, yet seemed to accept it more now. However, for some reason, he seemed more aggressive, rather than simply deflecting Light’s arguments or ordinarily countering them with his own. It was admittedly easier to get a response out of him, but much more difficult to actually lead the discussion somewhere worthwhile. 

“Yeah,” he added with a nervous chuckle. “I suppose you’re right. Is there anything I can do for you? Since I’m assuming you aren’t in the mood to talk, and probably won’t be anytime soon. Is there anything I can actually _do?”_ He supposed L wouldn’t tell him anything too revealing, such as whether he truly cared about Watari or not, and whether he was grieving, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to help as much as he could, as much as L would let him, especially if it meant them being back on goo— _regular_ terms. 

L seemed to huff under his breath and looked away annoyedly. “Forgive me, Yagami-kun, but this is beginning to get repetitive. If there is anything I find myself in need of that I cannot provide for myself, rest assured that you will be the first and only person to hear of it.”

 _Ouch._ Something about the tone of L’s voice was cold, biting, and very much more uninviting than before. _That’s the thing, though. If you_ are _grieving you won’t tell me. You’ll probably just continue on as this...empty, quick to anger, abnormal version of yourself._ But what more could he do? “Yeah...you’re right. Sorry, Ryuuzaki.”

He saw the man move to the bunk below his, and heard something mumbled from underneath it. 

“Sorry, Ryuuzaki? I didn’t quite catch that.”

“I said, Hirota-san was correct.”

“About what? He didn’t make a single good point the entire time. You saw what happened.”

“He did. You just made them better.”

“Okay. He’s aggressive, self-righteous, and controlling. His ideas aren’t the worst, but they’re rooted in a desire for power and authority over everyone else. Someone _had_ to step in, and I didn’t see anyone else doing anything about it, unless they were instantly shot down and didn’t try again. If I hadn’t, who else would’ve?”

“It is almost as if that sounds nearly identical to someone else I know quite well.”

Light bit his lip roughly, straining against the will to put the other in his place. _Don’t be rough with him. Don’t be rough with him._ He felt his fists involuntarily clenching and unclenching as he spoke. “ _No,_ Ryuuzaki, it sounds like _Kira_ , who is someone you’ve never openly met, and hopefully never will. I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but we _aren’t_ the same person.” 

“Yagami-kun seems so sure of himself. It is a mutual trait I’ve observed in both versions of him.”

“There is only _one_ version of me, Ryuuzaki, and it’s the one you’re talking to _right now!_!”

“Ah, yes. I suppose that attaining the power to kill simply enhanced ‘darker’ personality traits that you already had concealed within you, the ones which enabled you to do so.”

“As I’ve told you time and time again, I’d _never!_ You said this was getting repetitive, but you’ve been accusing me of the same thing without proper evidence for _months!_ There is only one version of me, and there is no desire to kill anyone, lest you. Why is it so hard for you to believe that I just want to help you?!”

There was silence for a moment, and Light had wondered if he’d actually gotten through to the man. After a few seconds longer, he began wondering if he should peer down below to check on him to see what had happened—the silence had gotten quite awkward, after all. However, that illusion was shattered when Ryuuzaki spoke again. 

“Forgive me again, Yagami-kun, but it seems that I do not require your services at the moment. I have no desire to have anyone killed, but if I ever find that I do, I’ll be sure to contact you immediately.”

“ _Bastard!”_ He jumped down from the bunk and stepped forcefully toward the frustrating jerk before him, grasping his shoulders roughly, as the other immediately leaned back onto his palms and raised his knees to his own chest, feet poised directly at Light’s center, ready to defend if necessary, but not quite combative, at least yet. “I’m _not a murderer!_ ” Light screamed, shaking the older’s shoulders as he spoke. “You locked Misa and I up for months under the guise of us being murderers, and proceeded to tell us you were _bored_ and didn’t care to search for the real Kira after you released us! You willingly let people die without even _trying_ to do anything to help. Who’s the _real_ murderer between us?!” 

L seemed to grit his teeth before allowing his jaw to fall into the semi-slacked, aloof picture of expressionless passivity that he normally wore. “Yagami-kun is confusing inaction with playing an actual helping hand in the crime.”

 _”They’re the same thing!”_ he exclaimed. “You don’t care, do you? All you care about is playing your stupid little cat and mouse game. The lives of other people matter _nothing_ to you. You don’t care that you basically ruined my life, and traumatized Misa, and you definitely don’t care about all of the victims out there, do you?!”

L waited a beat before answering, his voice lower in timber, and slower in tempo than previous, giving off the impression that each word was carefully selected and deliberate. “I care about catching Kira. Whatever is necessary to do so, I will not shy away from.”

Light huffed. “Right. Of course. Screw everything else in your way. And if something doesn’t go your way, shut down and sulk and let people die by the tens and twenties daily because your little theory was proven incorrect. You call yourself justice, but you go about everything the wrong way. How’s that for being just?”

“It wasn’t proven.” His voice was still measured, words still slow and deliberate. “I am the World’s Greatest Detective for a reason. And you,” he continued, digging a toe into the younger boy’s sternum, causing him to flinch and gasp, “are my number one suspect for a reason. I advise that you refrain from confusing the two in the future.”

“There you go again with your exposition of power. You talk about Kira wanting to obtain power over everything else, but maybe that’s because you’re so familiar with the desire yourself. You _want_ me under your control, unable to fight back against your allegations. You live by the idea.”

“I would most certainly prefer you behind bars. This is just the second most viable option.”

“ _Damn you!_ he screeched, instantaneously finding himself to be more offended by that statement than he figured he should have been. “Of _course_ that’s your main concern! That’s why you gave up when it was time to investigate the real Kira! You were suddenly wrong about me, and thought you lost whatever little game we weren’t ever playing, so you stopped investigating the case entirely. Does anyone’s life matter to you? If anyone you knew died, would that even bother you?! If—“

Light stopped abruptly, realizing the direction his rant was headed in, simultaneously reminding him of the reason he’d even struck up a ‘conversation’ with L in the first place. What the hell was he doing, letting man who was most likely suffering get to him like this? Tensions were high, one of them grieving was a probable possibility, and Ryuuzaki definitely wasn’t himself. He’d just mucked up his point and set himself back miles further. 

He exhaled deeply, dipping his head. “I’m sorry,” he breathed out, before raising his head partway back up and making eye contact with L, noting that his eyes were still red rimmed form earlier, but the brightness of the hue had reduced somewhat considerably since he’d been fully up and awake. Though his grip remained on the other’s shoulders, he reduced the hostile capacity he held upon them and instead began to squeeze them rhythmically, with a less pronounced, attempted comforting vibe to it. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Get away from me, Kira-kun.” The other shrugged his shoulders out of Light’s grasp, using the soles of his feet to push the teenager away abruptly. 

“But—I was just—”

“I _said_ leave me alone, Kira.”

Light sighed deeply, ready to wash away the disquiet of the moment, eager to ebb away the cause of friction between the two. “Ryuuzaki...”

“Again. As I was saying, Hirota-san was correct. One way didn’t work for you, so you’re attempting another. Cool to hot, and back to cool.”

“We just had this discussion. Do you really want to have it again?” the younger asked, tiredly. 

“No. You missed my point entirely the first time. I was agreeing with what he said in regards to you being manipulative. He was quite correct in judging you as such.”

“Really? That’s what you care about, after all of that? You sure are one to talk,” he commented, then instantly scolded himself for doing so. No, making jabs at the petulant man weren’t currently in his best interest—they were far from it. 

“Again, that isn’t my point at all. Between the two of you, you were the most manipulative in that room.”

“The only reason he didn’t match the level in which I dealt with the situation at was because he isn’t smart enough to do so. Are you telling me that if it suited you, you wouldn’t do the same?”

“I am not the suspect here, Yagami-kun. You are aware of your true nature, yet you still downplay it in front of someone who knows you quite well.”

 _Someone who knows you...yes. You know me, Ryuuzaki, but you’re letting some convoluted, inaccurate version of me you have stored in your mind cloud your opinion. Stop letting that happen. I’m who you see, here. Now._ “I didn’t know I was supposed to exhalt him, instead. And I’m not exactly proud of using my ‘abilities’.” 

“So why do it?”

“Would you have just let it go? You saw the same thing I did, Ryuuzaki. He wanted to control everyone in the building, by himself.”

“Yes,” he said, gnawing on his thumb. “Yes, and you do as well, but instead utilized a different approach at his expense. With the way the crowd reacted so favorably for your stance, you could have easily abolished the idea of rationing the supplies, but you didn’t. Why is that? Is it because you truly think Hirota is wrong? Or is it because you simply aren’t a fan of his approach, and would prefer things to be under your control instead? Perhaps it was a way to show out in front of him. Or is it all of the above?”

“L, it isn’t that serious. It’s about a supply of food that we’ll have stored for a relatively short amount of time and never have to worry about again.”

“I know, Yagami-kun. Making your efforts, or lack thereof, all the more futile.”

Light shook his head. “Look, Ryuuzaki. I just didn’t want him to exact his falsely assumed authority over everyone before it was too late, neither did anyone else. Doing so doesn’t make me any more or less likely to be Kira. Regardless of what I did to prevent that from happening, I _was_ acting in the best interests of practically everyone here. You included.”

“Your self assurance will be your downfall one day, Yagami-kun. I am almost positive of it.”

“That’s rich, coming from you. I would say the same for you, if I were actually Kira, but thankfully I’m not.”

“Self deception will get you nowhere.”

“Whatever.” Light desperately needed a moment to cool down. L was refusing to back down and sheer hostility was hardly the atmosphere he needed present in order to try to regain their previous camaraderie, or whatever he could appropriately refer to it as. He moved to climb back up onto his bunk, setting one foot upon the ladder, but paused before continuing. 

“There’s some energy bars in the food storage room, they’re in a half opened box right next to the entrance. They’re sweet, or the closest thing to sweet I’ve seen in this place so far. So, if you need something, there’s that.”

He climbed onto his bunk, staring at the ceiling. He knew much better than to expect a reply. 

\---

The following few days dragged on quite sluggishly, much to L’s own chagrin. He wished nothing more than to be back at headquarters, or frankly, anywhere with access to a computer, stable internet, and the ability to solve complex crimes once more. The nagging feeling of brain rotting _nothingness_ stemmed from wasted time hadn’t been nearly as prevalent since he was a child. However, it was now ever present, and though it had been less than 72 hours, he was biting his fingernails to the nub, frustrated and almost restless at the lack of things he could _do_ or rather _solve_ —put his mind to. 

In the mornings, or rather, what had been deemed morning by the other members of the bunker (read: real-time evenings), he’d headed to the showers before hardly anyone else awoke. The general openness of the room was quite disgusting, as was the idea of sharing the same shower stalls as nearly 60 other people. Sharing one with Light had been taxing enough, and this was beyond disturbing. 

Scrubbing himself clean multiple times to rid himself of the filth that evidently lie in the air from the departed presence of others, he’d involuntarily grimace, and would head out quickly, redressing. He’d taken somewhat of a liking to the cotton shirts that lacked buttons, as it reminded him of the ones he typically wore on a daily basis, that Wammy had begun buying him when he was just a child. 

Wammy. 

He couldn’t look at the face of the young killer who shared his room without seeing that of the man who’d taken it upon himself to raise him since he was young, henceforth causing him to avoid the youth at all times. That, coupled with the fact that since he and Kira weren’t currently in the middle of a heated battle, hardly anything Light did interested him in the slightest. Yes, it was best to avoid him when possible. In fact, they hadn’t spoken a word to each other since their final argument immediately after the meeting Hirota had called. Yes, everything was much easier this way. 

When he’d arrive back into the room, he’d crouch upon the bottom bunk, _his_ bunk, and merely think about the situation he’d found himself in. He’d always been one for realism, and accepting the truth of nature—growing up the way in which he did had forced him to do so, and he had little choice in the matter—but he couldn’t help but hold on to the unguarded hope that this was some well played out, elaborate nightmare in which nearly everything he wished would never happen, did. Really, what the hell was he supposed to do? He was unable to work on that he enjoyed most, Wammy was dead, and he was stuck in the room with part of the reason Wammy was in the line of fire in the first place. A living hell would definitely be the best way to describe his situation. 

Crouching there, in his own mind—as he was quite accustomed to doing before the nuclear strike, though it had purpose and reason prior to—he planned to simply stay in the same spot all day, unless it were to visit the restroom, as he’d recently been doing. 

From time to time, when Light would enter or exit, he’d cast a glance over at L, who’d pretend to be sleeping—chin against his knees and hands resting atop them, as well. In truth, he hadn’t slept since days before the _incident_ —discounting the few hour long nap he’d accidentally taken on their first day there. 

Occasionally, when feigning unconsciousness while Light was entering/exiting the room, he’d feel a lightweight, yet warm weight set itself atop his shoulders: his blanket. This would sometimes be followed by a hushed crinkling noise, which he’d correctly guessed to be Light collecting the empty energy bar wrappers that sat scattered on the floor immediately beside his bunk, as the floor was always cleansed of the scattered mess, afterward. It seemed that the teen had taken the term ‘look out for’ quite literally. 

Of course Light would certainly desire for to L to feel grateful for his assistance when he’d woken up, if he even believed his sleeping act, at all. And naturally, L refused to fulfill that desire. His strong refusal to see Light, coupled with the fact that he viewed his actions as somewhat of a manipulation tactic prevented him from even coming close to doing so. 

Soon, he’d have to enact his plan to get on Light’s better side in order to (hopefully) solidify his safety if something unfavorable were to occur (re: Kira). While he still didn’t trust in the strategy entirely, or even come close to it, he knew it was certainly the best option on the table. In fact, it was likely the only one, with the exception of ignoring everything and letting things play out as they would. No, he couldn’t allow that to happen. If he did, Kira would almost surely win. 

So it was. Having not spoken to him for days, he figured Light was still quite desperate to speak to him—even more so now, especially since he was so out of his element. After their last verbal disagreement a few days prior, the teen must have certainly felt apologetic—whether the reason lie with the fact that he wanted to stay close to L in this _’polarizing’_ environment, or other reasons in tandem with such—he knew _something_ was bothering him. The fact that Light was cleaning up for him and was ensuring he stayed warm while he slept (though that could also be attributed to the mere upkeep of the friendly façade they’d shared for such a long period of time by now) could also help support this theory. 

So be it. Though he wanted nothing more than to continue to avoid the young killer at all costs, he’d have to tough it out. To win the game. For himself. _For Wammy._

As if on cue, the door creaked, allowing him to close his eyes before it had time to shut. Following, he then felt the familiar small weight of the blanket rest upon his shoulders. 

_I suppose it’s more appropriate sooner, rather than later. Any while longer and Light will_ really _begin to get agitated with me, which will not bode very well in my favor._

“Yagami-kun?” he asked, as he suddenly opened his eyes, instantly meeting the pair of surprised, amber ones across from his own. The younger’s fingers still remained at the corners of the blanket, as he hadn’t yet had time to remove them yet. 

Almost as soon as his eyes widened in shock, however, they narrowed in irritation, though seemingly not in hatred or disgust. 

“I knew it.”

\---

_Taxing._

The last few days had proven themselves to be nothing short of that description. From waiting in crowded hallways to make use of the showers—only to leave and come back to see the crowd the same exact size as previous, or even larger—to standing in a single file line that wrapped around the hallway, through a few doors and down the stairs for his daily ration of food, only to return to a secluded room with a man who currently hated his guts and had declared he wanted nothing more than to see him arrested—well, the descriptor was certainly appropriate. 

In his mind, though vexed, he was perturbed by their distance. Still wanting to try to reconcile the differences between himself and the stubborn detective, and very much regretting the argument that the two of them shared (though he didn’t regret all of his—just the way in which he’d presented them, and the all but horrible timing at which it had occurred), he’d considered attempting conversation with Ryuuzaki, only to look over and see him with his eyes closed, or his back turned to the expanse of the room. 

So, he spent more time than he’d expected to wandering around the place as a whole, as if he were simply taking walks, and even more time was spent in the lounge area. People were still approaching him to thank him for what he’d done, and attempted to converse with him about their personal lives and the disaster, as a whole. He was quite good at pretending to listen—even better at feigning care for their words and detailed experiences. It was, besides his looks and perceived politeness, the reason he’d always been so popular amongst his peers, and otherwise. People were simply drawn to him, and to have a open, welcoming ambiance about him that seemed deeply considerate about others, and their wellbeing. 

However, the more he talked with all of the others, the more difficult it became to shake the feeling that he simply _didn’t belong here._ Not just underground—as no one did, save the deceased—but with these people— _most_ people, in general. The thought sickened him, but he couldn’t help but constantly mull over the fact that he’d rather be with Ryuuzaki in those moments. Hell, he’d rather be in his presence, for the most part. As he’d considered it further, he mulled over the fact that no one in his life had ever provided him with the challenging thrill that Ryuuzaki had, which he realized he ineffably enjoyed, afflicting him further. The thought brought a nauseous, uneasy pain to reside uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach, especially considering the fact that the man in question wanted his head on a platter. 

Go figure. 

As he spoke to the those who populated the bunker on a daily basis, conversations ranging from him being congratulated and praised, to hopeful promises that everything would work itself out aboveground, he’d occasionally see Hirota glaring at him from a distance, hidden in a corner or tucked away in a smaller crowd of people. That was something that never failed to raise his spirits. He may have felt disturbed, had the man actually posed a threat to him, but since the bunker contained such a large volume of people that general favored Light himself, he’d test his limits and raise his eyebrow, smirk a bit out of the corner of his mouth, and turn back to the individuals he was speaking to, saying something that’d instantly cause them to beam at him, or perhaps laugh airily, glancing back at Hirota as if he were challenging him with a silent ‘Hm? What are you going to do about it?’. _Nothing, that’s what._

Despite his few minor victories over Hirota, and the triumphant fervor that accompanied such as a result, and aside from everything he’d been accused of doing, yet hadn’t—he still felt bad for Ryuuzaki. Common sense and previous experiences told him that he shouldn’t—the man didn’t care for him one bit and wanted him jailed—but he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty about what the man was likely going through. L had seemed to take personal offense to the comment he’d made regarding the detective not caring if anyone he knew died, and the teen had been secretly been thinking about the fact that he’d unfortunately said it ever since. In fact, the other had shoved Light away afterward, no longer willing to engage in the argument that he himself had surely initiated intentionally. This further confirmed to Light that L had some sort of disposition toward Watari, and now he was sitting in the mostly barren room, alone, and likely grieving. 

It bothered him greatly. Apologizing would do nothing, and directly offering him ‘help’ would do the exact same, if not cause another otherwise avoidable fight. He didn’t know what to do. He’d told L that he’d be available for him whenever he needed him to be, but that was prior to him making the scathing remark that he had. He’d almost certainly squandered all chances, as minuscule as they’d been in the first place, of L coming to him on his own accord if he had ever considered doing so in the first place. Yes, for the first time in his life, he could definitely say his involvement in a situation drastically worsened it. 

Firsts. There were a lot of them, when it came to Ryuuzaki. 

So, he did what he could do best to assist L in any way he could. He wanted him to leave him alone and give him space—fine, he’d do that. He wanted to avoid conversing with him? Sure, he’d give him that, too. The only other way he could show his support of the other man was cleaning up after him and covering him up while he took micro naps, as he knew the other wouldn’t take either of those tasks upon himself. 

He did doubt the unyielding man was truly sleeping, and not using the appearance of sleeping as a ruse to continue successfully ignoring his presence. Regardless, he still tried. Plus, he wanted to display his regret in some way, the only way he could, and hoped Ryuuzaki would understand. He needed him to. 

So, when journeyed down the hallway, and headed toward the room, he had a pretty crystal clear approximation of the image he’d be met with when he entered. However, when he set the blanket over the man’s shoulders, he hadn’t expected him to openly react. 

This, however, at least partially confirmed his theory of the detective’s active avoidance of him. 

“I knew it.”

\---

L had no witty remark for that, as he typically would, as he simply looked away and bit faintly at the pad of his thumb.

After a few moments of silence, Light came to the conclusion that if he didn’t speak up, no one would, so he was forced into the position of trying to lead their potential conversation somewhere useful. He sighed, shaking his head. “Yes, Ryuuzaki?” It’d only been days, but it felt strange—refreshing even, though he’d never admit it—to have that name on his tongue once more, rather than having it simply lingering heavily in his mind. 

“I...”

 _Huh? L struggling for words? What’s going on?_ “Hm?” he prompted. 

“I’m not exactly sure, Yagami-kun.”

 _That isn’t true._ “What’s on your mind, Ryuuzaki?” he requested, though it was more of a statement than a question. 

After a few moments, the other finally spoke up again. “...I believe Yagami-kun was correct.”

 _Huh?_ That wasn’t what he’d expected to hear, and he struggled to keep his body from naturally perking up at the admission. “Correct? About what?”

“Regarding the proposal of it being better for us to be on decent terms with one another, and to at least attempt to get along. Yagami-kun made very valid points. We will be stuck here, together, for an amount of time unbeknownst to us. It would be beneficial for us to put our differences aside to make the time all but more bearable, especially amongst others.”

Light’s mouth gaped open a bit, surprised at the stubborn man’s sudden concession. _Really? Had he been reminiscing about the things he’d been, as well?_ No, that was very unlikely. L was likely busy thinking about other things—those that involved Watari’s death and his own arrest. The second thought that came to his mind was, “This isn’t some sort of a test to see what I agree with?”

“No, Yagami-kun. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have my own reasons for suggesting such a partnership, however, rest assured that most of them coincide with yours.”

 _Most...that’s a decent start._ So...you want us to be ‘friends’.”

“We were never _proper_ friends, as I’m sure you are aware of. So, yes, ‘friends’. That best fits the description I am looking for.”

“You...”

“I still do not trust you and I still hold the same suspicions of you as I did prior. However, the reasons you listed were all but appropriate and true. I will concede in this matter.”

“...Are you sure?” Light found himself questioning, despite himself. “You know, if you need more time to yourself...”

“I suppose I will be fine with it, for the the time being. Besides, did you not say you wanted us to return to normalcy?”

“Yeah,” he replied, half lost in thought. “Yeah, of course I do, but I wasn’t exactly asking in favor of my own interests.”

“Ah, Yagami-kun was serious about his offer to be helpful? Regardless, I still wish to agree to the terms.”

Light nodded, then met L’s eyes once more. “Same here, Ryuuzaki. Thank you for the opportunity.”

L simply nodded in response, continuing to nibble on his thumb. 

The teen, not yet wanting their moment of amiability to end so suddenly, as if it would suddenly disappear once more if he allowed their discussion to stop so abruptly, looked at the spot on Ryuuzaki’s bed beside him, wanting to prolong the conversation but not wanting to overstep his bounds. Looking at the empty spot, and back at Ryuuzaki, whose gaze had been averted, then back at the spot once more, he lowered himself onto the mattress slowly, giving the other plenty of time to object. 

When he didn’t, he sat fully down, then tentatively reached his hand out toward his ‘friend’s shoulder, ready to quickly move away if he asked him to. “Are you okay?” 

L looked away from the nondescript point at the wall he’d been staring at, as if Light’s words had broken him out of deep thought. “Hm? Oh. Yes. I believe I am quite alright, Yagami-kun.”

Though Light disagreed, he conceded, not wanting to push the man any further beyond his limits than he’d already been forced. Looking at the increasingly dark colored bags under the man’s eyes, he sighed. “You haven’t slept at all, have you?”

He shook his head and looked away, forefinger in his mouth. “Since Day 1? No, I have not.”

Light wanted to roll his eyes, but refrained from doing so. _Of course you were ignoring me._ “And you hadn’t slept days before then, either.” It was more of a statement than an inquiry, to which L shook his head in the negative. Light sighed once more, beginning to allow his thumb to rub soft, pressurized circles onto the shoulder of Ryuuzaki that it rested against. _I’m sorry if you’re stressed._ “You should get some rest today.”

L shook his head again. “I know what I _should_ do, Yagami-kun. That doesn’t make it any easier to actually do so.”

Light nodded, inching a bit closer and slightly increasing the pressure of his thumb onto L’s shoulder. “I know. I’m sorry.” He imagined that it would be difficult—on top of being a chronic insomniac, had L been close to Watari, sleep wouldn’t find him very easily. _Especially_ if he were stuck in a room with someone he believed to be a murderer, our for his blood. After a moment, he spoke up again. “I suppose one thing we should be grateful for is the soundproof walls. Everything out there is so loud and echoey, it’d be impossible to get any rest if they weren’t.” He looked to the other side of the room, and back at L, motioning at the wall with a tilt of his head. “Plus, rooming next to him would be even more of a nightmare if they weren’t, too.”

L tilted his head, then nodded weakly. “Yes, you are correct. I suppose neither of us would be able to sleep, if that were the case.”

Light smiled encouragingly, then found his mind suddenly wandering to an incident that had taken place a few days ago, only by the mere mention of noise. “Hey, don’t feel inclined to comment on this if it makes you too uncomfortable, of course, but I was wondering about something I saw the other day. You know, I was under the impression that you wouldn’t be very fond of children at all, especially given your general...attitude. Unless I was wrong in my assumption?”

“Oh?” L answered, a half curious, half unplaceable glint in his eyes. “Yagami-kun saw that?”

“Of course I did,” he replied. _Yes, I noticed, and you know I did. You probably took joy in the fact that you knew something that I didn’t._ However, the small, upturned quirk of Ryuuzaki’s lips entirely prevented him from being annoyed at the faux coyness, rendering his mind into an odd state of nostalgia. _I miss you._

“Hm, I suppose you weren’t far away, after all.”

Light rolled his eyes, but a grin similar to that of Ryuuzaki’s found itself creeping upon his face, and lingering there. “No, I wasn’t. That doesn’t answer my question, though.”

“Yagami-kun never asked a question. He merely made mention of the occurrence and stated that I wasn’t under any obligation to comment on it.”

He exhaled deeply, holding back the desire to roll his eyes once more. “Yeah, okay, whatever. _Are_ you fond of children? I can’t imagine that you actually are. And, if it isn’t overstepping my bounds, what did you say to them? The one that was yel—crying calmed down pretty quick after you said whatever it was that you did. And most importantly, I’d never envisioned that you’d sacrifice your sweets for anyone, let alone a kid.”

L looked at the bottom of the bunk above his head, as if mulling over an answer, then suddenly returned Light’s gaze. “No, I am not fond of them at all. In fact, I tend to avoid them whenever possible.”

“Huh? So what was that about? Couldn’t handle the noise?” he asked, half sarcastically. 

“Precisely,” L replied, seemingly in all seriousness. “It was beginning to give me quite the headache.”

Light shrugged, agreeing. “Can’t argue with you about that, I guess. It was doing the exact same thing to me.”

“So Yagami-kun understands.”

“I mean, as much as it was bothering me, I don’t think I would have intervened.”

“You don’t speak French,” L was quick to point out. 

_Yes, and that pleases you immensely, I bet._ “Yes, and I would have gotten there, if you’d have let me finish. But no, you’re correct. I don’t. Even if they spoke Japanese, though, or maybe English, I’m not sure if I’d intervene in those cases, either.”

“Ah,” L raised his eyebrow. “Yagami-kun isn’t fond of children, either?”

“What, did you expect me to be? I mean, I definitely wouldn’t be rude to any of them, and I’m fine with my sister, but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to do what you did.”

“Hm, I see. I suppose that I am similar, with the exception the last statement, obviously.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re so good with them; it’s like you knew exactly what to say. If you weren’t yourself, I’d almost wager that you have experience dealing with them.”

L raised his eyebrow once more, simultaneously tilting his head. “Hm, maybe so. Maybe not. Perhaps I have younger siblings, or I merely volunteer for Story Hour at local libraries during my spare time.”

Light laughed unexpectedly at the sudden, unanticipated mental image, smiling widely as he removed his hand from L’s shoulder and placed it on the other one furthest away from himself. “Yeah, I can definitely picture that. Maybe I’ll have to attend one of these ‘Story Hour’s when all of this is over and done with.”

L shrugged nonchalantly. “The more the merrier, I suppose.”

Light quelled his laughter few moments later, shifting as he heard a crinkling sound beneath his feet. _Oh. Food. Right._ “Hey,” he said, after a few beats. “You’re hungry, aren’t you?” When L merely shrugged in response, he pushed further. “You’re only eating a few of these a day,” he commented, kicking one of the empty wrappers into full view. “You almost have to be starving.”

“It isn’t as if there is much of a choice, Yagami-kun.”

“I know. But you haven’t looked through everything, have you? There almost has to be something that’ll appeal to your tastes.”

“I doubt that there is.”

“So you wouldn’t eat anything that weren’t sweet to some degree?”

He shook his head. “Not unless it were deemed a life or death situation, no.”

Light sighed. “How about if I checked for something else for you? It might not taste like cake or ice cream, but there might be something with a sweeter tinge to it in comparison to the other options.”

What could be best interpreted as disgust suddenly etched itself on L’s face, and he scowled unsurely. “I am not sure, Yagami-kun. I looked through some of the ‘options’ on the first day and was left very much displeased with what I saw.”

Light exhaled deeply. _I recall._ “Well, it wouldn’t hurt you to try, would it? If it turns out you don’t like it, whatever it is, then don’t finish it.” L didn’t look as if he agreed in the slightest, so he attempted a bit more convincing. “You can still keep your stash of energy bars; they’re called snacks for a reason. You aren’t accustomed to eating such a small amount daily, and doing so, so suddenly can’t be good for you, either. Just try, maybe? Hm?” He stroked his hand lightly up and down the side of L’s arm where it rested, in a manner that he hoped was comforting, wishing that he’d concede on this matter, as well. 

“...Okay, Yagami-kun. I suppose you are correct; it won’t hurt to simply try.”

Light smiled subtly, but encouragingly. “Alright. I’ll go look for something, then. Unless you want to come with me? That way, it’d be easier for you to choose?”

L chewed on his thumb for a moment, as if considering his options, then shook his head. “No, I believe I will pass on that option. I would rather avoid inserting myself in large crowds of people for now, when possible.” 

“Alright, Ryuuzaki. I understand,” Light replied before cordially patting his back and standing up, making his way toward the door, almost unable to keep himself from grinning in achievement. He wouldn’t want to push his luck, as he’d already gotten more, much more than he could have ever expected. He’d gone from being hated to getting along with said person who’d held such feelings for in a matter of minutes, causing relief to flood his veins—especially when said person was the one who’d been invading his thoughts incessantly for the past few days straight. 

Before he could open the door, he felt a small tug on his sleeve from behind. 

“Yagami-kun?”

“Hmm?” he turned around, surprised to see the man was not only off of his bed, but was fastening one of the button up shirts over the one that resembled the one he typically wore on a daily basis. 

“When we are outside of these quarters, I will be going by the alias of Hideki Ryuuga. I am not sure if anyone from To-Oh is present, but if they are, they would almost certainly recognize the two of us, and it would be at least mildly suspicious for me to be going by an entirely different name,” he explained. “According to my assumptions, if I am correct, the two of us make quite the unforgettable pair.”

Light was unable to hold back his broad smile any longer as he pushed the door open, propping it ajar with his arm.

“Lead the way, Ryuuga.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> L says * _What is bothering you?_ and ** _You might change your mind._ in French. 
> 
> If I’ve made any mistakes above, I apologize, and feel free to correct me! ❤️ That was written with my very basic understanding of French, lol. 
> 
> Anyway, I took a bit more time than expected to update, sorry about that. :( The holidays came around _very_ suddenly, somehow, lol. 
> 
> Anyhow, thanks for reading! Have a good day/evening/night. 💖🥰


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: brief mentions of cannibalism (closer to the end). nothing descriptive or g*ry, really, just a few mentions of it. no actual cannibalism taking place in the story, either! the rating would have soared if so ^^

“I’ve changed my mind. This is disgusting.”

“We’ve only gotten through a few shelves.”

“That is further proof of how revolting this experience is for me.”

“Ryuuz—Ryuuga, if we keep looking, I’m sure we’ll find _something._ ”

“Something Yagami-kun finds adequate? Or something I, the one who will be consuming it, will?”

“Hopefully you, that’s the reason you’re here. Relax, and we’ll keep looking for a little while longer. There’s almost bound to be something you’ll find ‘adequate’. And, if not, you did say you’d concede if a life or death situation were posed. Not eating would be a quick ticket to get you down that road, so.”

“No. I’ve changed my mind in regards to that stance, too. Some of this is too repulsive to even think about putting anywhere near my mouth. For example,” he said, grabbing the can closest to him, “what is _Beef Tomato Stew_? Tenderized, Grass-fed Beef upon a rich, distinctive Tomato Paste, with Carrots,” he recited aloud. “This is disgusting. It’s essentially a bland, chopped up cow in a watered down ketchup mixture. With carrots. I don’t even think it’s necessary to mention the irreverence of the last portion. Really, I cannot imagine the type of people who eat this sort of thing willingly.”

“Normal people do. Normal people eat ‘things’ like that, everyday, Ryuuga. It would probably be beneficial to you if you were to start, too.”

“I would never assault my tastebuds in such a vicious manner, especially without reason.”

“There’s a good enough reason in just being here. I’m not trying to force you, or anything, but you really wouldn’t know unless you tried it.”

“That is a term used by those who indulge in strange behaviors and attempt to get others to either accept them, join them, or both. It is not a message to be proud of conveying. Anyway, I’m not a fan of meat, at any rate.”

“Are you judging it solely by what you see in the stew? There are much better options out there. Not here, but in general.”

“I hardly think it matters. Meat, and other salty meals don’t soothe my palate. I wouldn’t even consider wasting my time.” When Light’s only response was to stare blankly at him, he continued, quieter, although averting his gaze in another direction. “Although I did try beef tenderloin made by a top chef from a five star restaurant. I still didn’t enjoy it. The entire thing was too garlic-y on the outside and too bland on the inside. The profiteroles were quite good, however,” he admitted, his eyes downcast. 

Light released a deep, somewhat frustrated breath through his nostrils, as he bit his lip to ensure his mouth otherwise stayed closed. Had he really lamented over the fact that this madman had refused to speak to him for a few days, actively vying to regain his attention once more? He looked to the man beside him, watching him as he bit his finger and looked off to the side, as if he’d compromised his privacy, and sighed indignantly. _My God._

“Well, it’s a good thing you at least tried it, I guess. We’ll look for something else, don’t worry.”

“Something without meat,” L stated, resolutely. 

“Something without meat,” Light echoed, nodding in agreement. Turning to the set of shelves on the next wall, he began thumbing through the items, immediately discarding most of the options as things L certainly wouldn’t be interested in, and would more than likely politely berate him for if he asked. After a few minutes, he finally stumbled upon a section that contained things that the stubborn detective could possibly find ‘adequate’, gesturing him over with his hand. “What do you think of this?” he asked. 

L shook his head. “No. It looks too salty.”

“This?”

“Appears to be too bland for my tastes.”

“What about this?”

“Way too much cheese.”

“And this?”

“No.”

“Reason?”

“It simply looks nasty. Even the packaging is off.”

Light sighed in exasperation. A couple of passing minutes later, and he was still technically at square one. “I don’t know what to say, Ryuuga. These are the sweetest things we’ve come across so far.” He looked around, sighing again. “Maybe we’ll try the other side of the room.”

“What’s that?” L said, with a vigor that made it appear as if he hadn’t heard a word Light said. 

“What?”

“That,” he repeated, looking up at something near the very top shelf. 

Light followed L’s finger with his eye until he spotted a white package, amongst others. 

“I’m not sure. I can’t read what it says from down here.”

“I want it.”

Light looked to him, slight doubt making itself evident upon his face. “I’m going to need the ladder to reach that.”

“Okay,” L replied nonchalantly, eyes still on the object, not budging even as Light continued to stare at him in partial disbelief. Ryuuzaki actually wanted him to go out of his way to get he ladder, climb all the way up there to retrieve something he’d probably refuse once he saw it up close. No, this shouldn’t be surprising. 

Exhaling, he dodged the small clumps of people that had began forming, as it was just about what most in the bunker had determined to be ‘lunch time’. With everyone dressed in the same similar white pajamas, it appeared as if he were making his way to the head of a cult meeting. After finally finding his way through the small crowded area to Utano, who was currently standing in the corner, patiently preparing to oversee the food distribution with her hands behind her back, he bowed before her and smiled, informing her of his need for the ladder. 

She returned his grin warmly, her crows feet turning sharply upward as she stepped out of the way, allowing him to grab hold of the ladder. Carefully making his way through the crowd, he returned and planted it firmly upon the floor. 

“This?” he asked, ensuring he had the correct package in mind before he journeyed the entire way up. After receiving an affirmative nod, he climbed the steps to the top, grabbing the package and shaking his head. Ryuuzaki was almost bound to be disgusted. 

“Here,” he said, once he reached the bottom again, a knowing glint in his eye. One of his feet remained upon the bottom step, already prepared to make its way back to the top to return the item back to its original location. 

L took the packet from his hand, analyzing it as his forefinger hung from his mouth. “Hm,” he commented. 

_Not instantly rejecting it?_ “Are you going to want me to put that back?”

“Hm...no. I don’t think so.” He flipped the packet around between his fingers. “What does this taste like?”

“I think the name implies it all, Ryuuga. It says sweet corn, so...”

“Yes,” L interjected, imploring him to continue. 

“...corn but sweet?” 

“And what does that taste like?”

“Like what I just said. It won’t be doused in sugar like almost everything else you eat, it’s still corn,” he explained, a bit fazed by L’s genuine expression of curiosity. “Wait,” he started, the realization hitting him like a semi truck, although he soon after figured that this was something he should have expected, “have you never eaten corn before?”

“Hmm,” L replied, gnawing on the corner of his thumb. “Not that I can recall, no. At least not since I’ve been responsible for my on dietary choices.”

“I...” he faltered for a second, then quickly collected himself. “Well, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t like regular corn. You might like this then, I guess, but like I said, it isn’t as sugary as everything else you eat, just because it says ‘sweet’. It is a vegetable, after all. Actually, speaking of vegetables, didn’t you just imply that their existence in itself is sacrilege?”

L shook his head a bit. “Forget about that. That was an entirely different issue. I think I am willing to try this, Yagami-kun.”

“Well...” Light pondered, hesitant. “Alright. Let me just put this back where it belongs, and we’ll go.” _I hope I’m not going to have to make another trip back here._

“All right,” L agreed, and Light folded the ladder, dodging his way through people and quietly apologizing for any disruptions he may have caused the whole way through. Halfway there, he noticed Utano smiling fondly at him, giving off the appearance of a proud parent. He’d noticed her watching him as he’d practically toured the room again, Ryuuzaki in tow. A bit reluctantly, he considered the idea that L looked like his scruffy pet, following him around and under his ownership as he decided what to feed him. That was a probably explanation for the reason that she’d been positively beaming at him as if he were rescuing a cat from a tree, when he’d been retrieving the packet from one of the top shelves for Ryuuzaki. Go figure. 

After reaching over and grabbing the item closest to him on the shelf, noting it was something he’d find acceptable, he gestured Ryuuzaki over, where, after L gave out his alias, the inventory boxes beside both of their names were checked off with a warm smile. 

Not a single word was exchanged during the trip back to their room, and soon they were back inside, door shut securely behind them. 

Light pulled the compacted tray out, deciding to dine in the room for the first time. The edge of the tray was aligned with the head of Ryuuzaki’s bunk, so the eccentric man could perch perfectly atop the end of it, while Light sat across from him in the foldout chair he brought with him from the lounge room. 

He set down their respective packages and water, settling himself across from Ryuuzaki when he felt a sudden nostalgic twinge in his chest, reminiscent of their breaks at the tower. If he could ignore the majority of his immediate surroundings, he could imagine it was solely himself and L, back at HQ, sharing a silent, yet comfortable breakfast together before the day officially begun and the investigation proceeded, or after a long day of working, mulling over possible theories, while smuggling in inconspicuous, subtle digs at one another, that only the opposite party would take notice of, half smirks partially adorning their faces all the while. Though only days since the last time he’d experienced such, he found that it felt like eternities had passed rather than the short amount of time that truly had. 

“So, I just...pour it over?” L asked, breaking Light away from his musings. 

He nodded affirmatively. “Mhm. Only pour it about...to here,” he said, approximating a measuring point on L’s bottle with his finger. “Leave some to drink.” He poured some over his own rice, watching the plain white grains thirstily soak up the water, before returning his attention to L, who was doing the same with his own. “Yeah, like that.”

L grunted in assent, picking up his utensil between his index finger and thumb. He tilted his head as he brought his eyes closer to the fork, then shrugged, carefully plunging the prongs into the mixture, scooping up only a few kernels in the process. After gazing upon them for a couple of lingering seconds longer, he pushed them into his mouth, chewing in what seemed to be a cautious manner. 

His eyes widened and he tilted his head to the other side. “Hm?” With less reserve, he stuck the fork back into the packet, repeating the motion, minus the visual analyzation portion. “Hmmm,” he commented, while chewing. “I am finding this very adequate so far, Yagami-kun.”

“What?” Light asked, his mouth ajar. “You really do like it?”

“Mmm. I do.” L nodded and shoveled more into his mouth, increasing the amount he consumed with each bite. After he’d consumed a large majority of the bag rather rapidly, his head rose and his gaze instantly found Light’s. “Is Yagami-kun not going to eat as well?”

Light realized he’d been staring intently at Ryuuzaki the entire time, instantly flushing a darker hue. He shut his mouth, which he then realized was still ajar, and dipped his head in embarrassment, starting in on his own meal. Usually he’d have a sharp comeback for the quick-witted prick, but he couldn’t begin to force himself to even consider thinking of one. Actually, he usually wouldn’t have been staring at all, but simply sitting across from Ryuuzaki was making him feel beyond nostalgic, though irrationally so. He knew his reaction was due to the experience past few days, he knew it for a fact. Daring to slyly glance back up a few moments later, he noticed a small smirk upon L’s face. _Bastard._

As the minutes passed slowly, the younger mechanically brought his utensil to his mouth repeatedly as he remained in his own head, not paying much attention to what he was doing, until he caught another glimpse of the man across from him. “You’re done?” he questioned, a hint of surprise coloring his tone. 

“Given Yagami-kun’s ’concerned’ speech regarding how hungry I likely was and how imperative it was that I needed to eat immediately, I don’t exactly follow the reason that he is confused.”

“True...you’re still hungry, aren’t you? I’ll get you more. Utano-san knows you haven’t really been eating for the past few days, since she keeps a careful inventory. Plus, she’s been looking at me a bit strangely for the past few days—like she’d wanted to ask me something—but her expression completely changed when she saw you today, so I think that‘s what the issue was. Also, the whole row where I got that one from is practically filled with those, so I doubt you’ll run out anytime soon. I’ll explain the situation to her and bring you extra, it’ll be fine.” He scooted his chair backwards, preparing to stand. 

L eyed him, questioningly. “Yagami-kun can finish his meal first. I do not mind waiting.”

Light looked down at his barely touched rice, instant recollection coloring his face. _Oh. Right._ “...No, don’t worry about that, Ryuuzaki. You haven’t eaten much for days. I can wait.” He stood and hovered beside the other for a moment, staring down while L craned his neck up to look at him, likely in question. He felt as if he were forgetting something, or rather, there was something he should have been doing, but his mind strangely couldn’t conjure up exactly _what_ , so he stood still for a moment, the feeling of awkwardness prickling up the length of his arms and his core. “...I’ll be back,” he stated, after a moment, and headed off hastily. 

By the time he reached the food storage room, he’d written the moment off, chalking it up to something that occurred due to Ryuuzaki’s sudden change in attitude with him, and nothing more. At the front of the line, Utano-san smiled acceptingly and graciously allowed him the extra items in addition to an empty box to put them in so he could carry them all with ease. When he returned, he placed the box beside L’s bed, reaching in and bringing another full packet and bottle to the tray. “Here,” he said, sitting it down. “I got you the equivalent to all of your missed servings. Eat them whenever you like.”

L’s mouth was a bit twisted, yet gaped, and he waited a moment before speaking. “Thank you, Yagami-kun.”

“Not a problem,” he replied, with a shake of the head. “Oh! Hold on a second,” he added, walking back over to the box before he pulled out a can, setting it on the tray next to the corn package. “I saw this on the way out in the middle of a bunch of other cans you wouldn’t like. I didn’t see any others, so this might be the only one, especially if everyone has eaten the rest of them. But I asked if I could take it as a ‘snack’, since they aren’t counted in the inventory, and she happily obliged. So...uhh, yeah. Dessert,” he said, twisting the label toward L. 

L thumbed the pop lid, chewing on his opposite thumb as he read the label. “...Thank you again, Yagami-kun. Would it be a crime if I were to eat dessert before I finished lunch?”

Light beamed at him. “Of course not. Then again, all of your lunches tend to be dessert, anyway.” _All of your meals, for that matter._

“You do make a very convincing point. I just may have to oblige.”

“I wouldn’t dream of standing in your way.”

“So be it, then.” L replied with a smirk, popping the lid open. Light joined him across the tray, sitting down to finish his meal. “Would Yagami-kun like some, before I raid it to its entirety?”

Light laughed a bit, unsure of the exact reason why. A week ago, none of this would have struck him as laugh worthy or profound. Had the three days apart really conditioned him to behave this way? “I’m okay, Ryuuzaki. Enjoy your dessert.”

“Mmm, that I will.” L popped open the lid, sticking his fork into the can and plopping one of the syrupy pineapple chunks onto his tongue, releasing a noise from the back of his throat that would have sounded lewd, had he been anyone else. 

Light figured it’d be odd to solely watch Ryuuzaki this time around, so he finished the rest of his rice, while glancing up every once in a while. Once, he caught what seemed to be an actual genuine smile on the other’s face, causing him to mirror his action as he shifted his own gaze back toward the tray. After witnessing L so uncharacteristically angry, and unlike himself (or the image he typically conveyed), seeing him appear authentically pleased because of something he’d done felt like a small victory in itself. 

By the time he’d finished his own meal, L had finished both his second serving of lunch and his ‘dessert’. “Still hungry?” Light asked, standing. 

“Just one more,” he answered, his index finger raised. 

“Sure.” Light stood and brought another to him, easing himself back down to silently watch him finish consuming an entire day’s worth of calories in one sitting. 

“I suppose I will dispose of these,” L announced, as he grabbed the corner of an empty packet once he’d finished. 

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll do it,” Light countered, standing. 

L thumbed his bottom lip. “In the habit?”

“Something like that,” Light replied, smirking slightly. “I’ll be right back.” When he returned, L had shifted to the middle of his mattress, his pillow back in its original spot. “Gonna try to sleep now?” Light prompted, hopeful.

“No, I don’t think so.” The older shook his head. “I am still not sure that I’d be able to.”

“Hmmm, okay,” Light commented, folding the tray back into the wall, then walking over to crouch on the floor beside Ryuuzaki’s bunk. “Feeling a little better, at least?”

“A bit.”

“That’s good,” he concluded, looking over L’s crouched form. Though hunched over, like he typically was, something about him seemed more uneasy, more defensive, protective, and childlike. _I wish there were something I could do. I can’t stand seeing you like this. It’s very unfitting for the image you portray, and the way you typically act. It’s unsettling, and I miss the way you were before, even if you did get on my nerves constantly. Intentionally. Whatever, that doesn’t matter much in the current moment._

“If Yagami-kun wants to analyze me, he can do so more comfortably from up here,” L suddenly spoke, eyes briefly idling over the empty space beside him on the bed. 

Light bit the inside of his cheek, feeling embarrassed at being caught for the second time that day. What the hell was wrong with him? He never slipped up with when it came to hiding his thoughts. Always sporting the perfect mask, it would be very difficult for anyone to distinguish what he was sincerely thinking of when observing him, penetrating the primarily secretive area that contained the guarded notions he’d never expose to anyone else—with the exception of L. When no one else could even come close to guessing his thoughts, L could, reciting them aloud, or happening to voice something eerily similar to what he _had_ been considering, without any prompting. Truth be told, L’s presence, especially that as of late, had a truly distinguished effect on his own behavior around the man, and he wished it hadn’t. 

“I wasn’t analyzing you,” he lied, moving to sit beside him. “And sorry for not knowing that I had your permission. Next time, I’ll try to read your mind beforehand, instead.”

“That didn’t stop you last time.”

“Good point.” He sat beside Ryuuzaki, one leg crossed over the other, arms folded against his chest conversationally. 

“So, what were the results of Yagami-kun’s observations?”

“I wasn’t observing you.”

“You were staring directly at me for at least 30 seconds without me returning any sort of eye contact in that span of time. Are you under the impression that being locked underground has affected my ability to reason?”

Light bowed his head and sighed. “Fine. I was just...concerned about you, that’s all.”

“Because I was avoiding conversation with Yagami-kun?”

“Yes. No. Both. That, and...” _Should he just outright say it? Ryuuzaki was hardly one to bite his tongue himself, however, this situation was of a much heavier magnitude, at least to the freshly grieving man. No, that’d be incredibly tactless. He’d noticed the change in demeanor in L after the last two comments in which he’d indirectly mentioned Watari. He wasn’t going to risk losing L’s attentions immediately after regaining them, nor did he want to batter who was already possibly hurting. If he could casually ease the conversation in that direction to get L to speak to him about it, he might have be able to ease the general, see-through tension, but he certainly wouldn’t push the issue if L was vehemently against it._ “...the reason that you were.”

“Because I believe you are Kira?”

“No. Only partially. You’ve been accusing me of being Kira practically since I met you. You’ve never acted like this, though.”

“That was before I was a firsthand witness to the events of the other morning.”

“Ryuuzaki, I did’n—never mind. My only point is that you’ve been acting _very_ different. It’s only natural that I’d be concerned about you.”

“Yagami-kun has been acting very different, as well.”

“Yeah, because of the way _you_ were acting.

“So, being rude to Yagami-kun convinces him to be exceedingly polite to me throughout the day? Thank you for this potentially useful tidbit of information.”

“No, that isn’t...no. Again, it wasn’t _because_ you were being rude. If that would have happened back in HQ, I would have fought you.”

“You would not have been victorious.”

“ _Anyway,_ I wasn’t being more ‘polite’, or whatever, because you were being rude. I’d just thought that maybe...”

“Maybe...” L prompted, after a few seconds of silence. 

“...that maybe...” He swallowed deeply, deciding to bite the bullet and get the forsaken deed over with, “that maybe, based upon your reaction, that what happened the other day was more, erm...personal, for you.”

L’s neck straightened, as his eyes slowly narrowed in what seemed to be a harsh understanding. _Please don’t let him react negatively. Especially not after making this much progress._ Though it wouldn’t seem like much to the average onlooker, Light knew firsthand how stubborn and difficult Ryuuzaki could be to navigate, especially when he had his mind set on one particular goal. _Please don’t revert back to how you’ve been lately._

“Ryuuzaki...?” Light inquired, after what was quite a pregnant pause. The air was thick with friction and rich with discomfort, both of which made Light rigidly uncomfortable, both in mind and posture. 

“...I see,” L mumbled, face entirely void of whatever notion he must have been hiding within his psyche. “I thought the fact that I do have base level consideration for my subordinates, was at least somewhat obvious.”

 _Avoiding the actual question._ He was probably right; it was confirmed more now than ever. L was presumably mourning. 

“Yeah...that’s true,” he finally commented, eager for the tension between them to disperse, putting the subject to rest, for the moment. Being pushy with L would only make him more reluctant to speak to him, wary of every intention of his in the future. “That makes sense.”

“I agree,” L replied, a mutual, prolonged glance of comprehension shared between himself and Light. There was his confirmation. 

“So...” Light began, attempting to peel back the newfound, uncomfortable layer of tension that had settled itself between them as quickly as possible. “If you don’t plan on sleeping any time soon, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“My plans?” L replied, thoughtfully. “I don’t have any. I suppose I will continue to do what I’ve been doing for the past few days, anyhow.”

Light eyed him comprehensively. “You’re bored,” he stated, matter-of-factly. 

“Yes, but I am sure that wasn’t a secret. I’m not exactly free to do what I’d like, if that weren’t obvious enough. Yagami-kun is bored, too.”

 _I definitely am, but not to the degree you’ve been. I’ve had something else occupying my mind for the last few days._ He sighed. “I am. I’m sure you know that I haven’t been enjoying my recent popularity as much anyone would think.”

“I’m aware. Not enjoying the small talk about other’s lives, and endless speculation about what will likely happen next?”

Light scoffed. “As if. There’s hardly any substance to any of it, not that I can blame them. That’s another thing you deprived me of for the past few days,” he stated in what was intended to be a teasing manner, but quickly came to realize how desperate it seemed. He swallowed shallowly. “Anyway, it’s nice to have sort of a cemented role, but not in the way that you’re thinking. If things keep going the way they are now, everything should run smoothly, until we’re released. So, that’s one part of it that I find ‘enjoyment’ in, if you want to call it that. Or, I’m satisfied with it, as much as I can be in this situation, at least.”

“Is that the only part you find enjoyment in?” L suggested, an unidentifiable glint in his eyes. “Or would another part be the ability to boast in plain sight before a certain ‘controlling’ someone?” he finished, smirking. 

Light returned his devious smile. ”Maybe. Not that you’d be able to tell.”

“No, not at all.” He waved his hand in dismissal. “As far as I am aware, you are a kind, positive, honor roll student who loves the general public, and being helpful to such. Aside from your career goals and studies, your main aspiration is to make everyone feel welcome in your presence, since you desire to be in their’s with an everlasting passion.”

Light laughed heartily, resting the back of his head against the upright leg of the bunk leading to his own mattress as he did so. _No one else can talk to me like this. No one else_ would. _They don’t know me like you do. Even if they did, they probably still wouldn’t. They see me as untouchable, invisible barriers separating myself and them, and they can only wish to surpass them. But you love to cross boundaries, successfully so. As infuriating as that can be at times, I can still appreciate it._ He looked at the blurry picture of L before him, eyes still squinted from laughter, when a sudden thought struck him. _I’m very glad you’re here._

He knew that in essence, it was selfish. L more than likely wouldn’t have been in Japan if it weren’t for the Kira case, which had indirectly placed him harm’s way, and he’d be elsewhere, thousands of miles away, probably holed up, solving cases and eating pastries. However, although he wasn’t glad Kira had arisen, given that he was a mass murderer, and had caused Light himself to be placed under heavy suspicion, locked away for 53 days, and being forced to remain under constant surveillance ever since, and while he also wasn’t ecstatic about the fact that L could have easily died just the other morning...he was happy that he wasn’t alone. Had he arrived at the bunker nearest his family’s home, staying with them all the while, it was true that he would have been in their company the entire time. However, even so, he would have still been alone. Although he loved them and appreciated their existence as much as he could muster, their impact on him didn’t compare to that of L’s—who could see through his overly polite acts, and challenge their authenticity—nothing did. Nothing did, and L was the only one to be able to do so. The only noteworthy contender. 

He was more than relieved that he had pulled L—the stubborn man that he was—back into the bunker, back to safety, in time. It was horrible to think, however—though he was practically sure the old man had absolutely no chance of survival—even if there were a small possibility that Ryuuzaki could have ran out there, effectively saving both Watari and himself, he was glad that he prevented that from happening. He much preferred the scenario in which he guaranteed L’s safety with a 100% probability, rather than one in which the possibility of L’s survival was much smaller, however saving another as he did so. It was selfish, almost morally incorrect—but he preferred an alive L to a potentially alive Watari and L, at the grave risk of L’s life. The very thought was unnerving, and the fact that L’s demise had only been moments— _fingertips_ away, caused an uncomfortable weight to settle heavily in the pit of his stomach. Had he truly been Kira, he would have hit a gold mine. 

He’d never been more vastly happy that he wasn’t. Sure, L was convinced he was Kira, ruthless in his accusations, and persistent in his constant quizzing of him in hopes to catch him in a moment of vulnerability, but sabotaging L would nearly feel like sabotaging himself. Maybe it was the three days talking. It probably was. But to intentionally destroy the only person who so refreshingly understood him on such a intimate, previously untouched level, he—

“I am starting to believe that Yagami-kun meant it literally when he said he wanted to be allowed to look out for me. That stare alone makes me almost nervous to think about what could possibly be going on in your head, especially since I already fear for my safety. If it would not possibly save my life, I would almost be pleased that I weren’t privy to it. Perhaps he also took it literally when I told him he could analyze me more properly from this angle.”

Light’s shoulders jumped in pure startle, eyes widening once he’d realize what he’d done for the third time that afternoon. “I’m sorry,” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his own neck with his palm, in hopes that his slip up would merely be breezed over after his apology. ”Happened again, didn’t it?” he asked with a small laugh, although he blatantly already knew the answer. “I don’t know why that’s been happening. Sorry about that.”

“Hmmm.”

“What, I’m not forgiven?”

“That _is_ a bit hypocritical for you to say.”

“I’m not Kira.”

“That isn’t the only thing that’d make me worry when considering what could possibly be occurring in your mind.”

“Hm?” Light inquired, curiously. “What else, then?”

“I am not sure Yagami-kun would be pleased with my conclusions.”

“That’s fine. It isn’t like there’s much else for us to do, considering. Humor me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“I was thinking something more along the lines of Packer, Kuzikov. Dahmer. Just to name a few.”

“Wha—?” he asked, the gears turning in his head. “Ryuuzaki, I don’t want to _eat_ you!”

“I certainly hope not. Aside from the fact that I do not wish to die, there are something close to 60 potential witnesses here. That would be a major disappointment, as it would make you quite stupid to even attempt. Then again, I do not doubt your ability to somehow talk your way out of it.”

“Ryuuz—okay. I would be disappointed if I were that stupid, too.” He paused. “But wouldn’t it also be stupid to provoke the person you’re accusing of being desperately murderous, especially one you think could get away with it so easily?”

“I didn’t say it would be entirely easy. You still have the factor of 60 people bustling around all day, and a spare few at night. Not to mention the fact that you’re essentially trapped in a large, underground box, with no way to escape without risking your own life.”

“That’s true,” he replied. “The spare few could be taken care of. I don’t know exactly how, but after watching their nightly patterns for a few days in a row, it’d be easier to predict their movements based upon the time. After that was taken care of, I think something could be managed with the tanks downstairs. It wouldn’t be an end all solution, but it’d certainly buy some time. While that was occurring, I could casually travel around and ask people if they’d seen you, or if you’d decided to room with one of them, increasing the level of worry I portrayed with each individual. Again, it isn’t an end all, but it’d definitely make me seem more innocent, at least to the vast majority.”

There was uninterrupted silence for a few moments while L stared at him, causing sweat to begin to bead at the back of his neck. “What’s—”

“This type of thinking is exactly what concerns me. No one should be able to arrange such a solid scheme in such a short amount of time. That direct line of thought is very telling.”

“Oh, come on!” He exclaimed, momentarily raising both of his hands. “I thought we were both playing along!”

“We were, until you detailed an elaborate plot to kill me and dispose of my body in less than a minute’s time.”

“No, L, you were the one that brought it up!” He shook his head, then met Ryuuzaki’s eyes. “You should know by now that I don’t want to hurt you.”

“That sounds like something Kira would say.”

“Everything I say sounds like something Kira would say, to you.”

“Exactly.”

He rolled his eyes. “I want to be a detective. I know that you know this. That level of critical thinking is required, as you you’re also aware of.”

“Hmmm. So if Yagami-kun does not wish to cannibalize me, I do wonder what the real reason he continues to blank out staring at me is. Perhaps he really missed me that much?”

Light swallowed imperceptibly. “Shut up. It was only a few days. And since when did you start overestimating your importance in my life?”

“Since never. And that is the point, Yagami-kun, it was only a few days.” He smiled in a way that would seem innocent and coy to any outsider, but spoke of mischief and well-known antics to Light. He frowned sternly in response, forcing himself not to mirror the other’s actions once more. “Shall I handcuff us together again? I must warn you, though, if I lose the key this time, we’ll be stuck together for quite a while. Most likely until everything aboveground is deemed clear. I imagine that would make both of us a bit grumpy.”

Light huffed out a laugh under his breath in response, but his words remained firm. “You’re making me ‘grumpy’ just by having this conversation.”

“Yagami-kun’s facial expression and actions tell a different tale. If you truly wished for the conversation to end, you’d stop replying to me and tell me to go away, or something of that nature, like you used to. You also wouldn’t still be sitting on _my_ bed.”

“It just so happens that I am. Maybe it’s more comfortable than my own. You never know.”

“Maybe it’s because of the change in tone of your voice, or perhaps it is due to the fact that practically everything in this bunker is the exact same, but I seriously doubt your claim.”

“Only one way to find out, I guess.” He shrugged, laying his back flat against the portion of the mattress he’d been sitting on, legs hooked and stretched toward the floor, while his hands crossed behind his head and his eyes shut, conveying the perfect picture of relaxation. “Hmmm, it _is_ more comfortable. Definitely more so than just sitting on it.” He cracked an eye open and stared up at the detective. “Not that you’d know anything about it.”

“Your elementary persuasions have absolutely no effect on me, Yagami-kun.”

“Really? Shocker. I thought the World’s Greatest Detective would be more susceptible to my ‘elementary’ charms.”

“I said persuasions, not charms. They are two separate things. Is this your new way of telling me to shut up and go away?” 

“No. Yes. Both. It doesn’t matter. Just join me,” he said, patting the space between himself and L. “Come on, you know you’re tired. It’s been too long this time.”

“No. I know nothing of the sort and I would stay up another week to prove it to you, if I cared enough to. Besides, how do you know I haven’t _actually_ been sleeping at any point during the last few days?”

“You were way too focused on effectively ignoring me to do that. Plus, you even said you hadn’t, earlier.”

“I am a liar.”

“Good to know, but I believe your word from earlier over what you’re saying now. You had nothing to gain from lying about it, then. Come on. Rest now, and do whatever you want later.”

“I wasn’t aware that I needed your permission.”

“It was a suggestion.”

L narrowed his eyes at him only somewhat irritatedly as he glanced from Light to the bed, and back again. “Hmmm.”

“Hmmm?”

“Hmmm.”

“Alri—”

“I’ll ‘rest’ for a little while. Not for long, though.”

Light grinned triumphantly. “Goo—”

“This is not because you told me to. This is merely because I feel the sudden need to rest my spine, and the bed is the best place to do it. Do not overestimate your abilities.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Light replied, smile still plastered upon his face as he sat up and moved away, standing. L laid onto his side, patting around for his blanket near his legs. Taking the cue, the teen stepped forward, grabbing the desired item and began draping it over L’s body. 

“I am not a child,” L said, snatching the blanket from Light’s grasp once it had already reached his neck. “Stop treating me as if I am one.”

“I’ll stop when you stop acting like one.”

L looked miffed. “Whatever,” he mumbled, burying his nose into his pillow.

The younger suppressed a small laugh. “Case in point.” He reached forward, smoothing the blanket around his companion’s shoulders. “You agreed we were friends, well, ‘friends’, and that I’d be able to look out for you. Blame yourself.”

“‘Friend’ is a very interesting term. After I capture you, I could write a memoir about our time together, entitled ‘My ‘Friend’ Kira’. It would be a bestseller for obvious reasons. People that support me would love to hear my take on things, and details about how I finally caught you, and your fans would rush to purchase the book, eager to prove you of good will and intent, while also worthy of worship. Witnessing the reactions of everyone would be like watching a circus unfold, but it would be worth it.”

“I...” he considered stating that he wasn’t Kira, but that was certainly futile, especially in the moment. “Now I know for sure that you’re exhausted. That isn’t something you’d say while thinking rationally. Go to sleep.”

“But just consider the aftermath, Yagami-kun...”

“No. Shut up and go away; whatever, L. Just go to sleep.”

“Ryuuzaki,” he corrected after a pause. 

“The walls are soundproof, so it’s fine. Stop prolonging it. This is what I mean in regards to you acting childish.”

“Hmph.”

 _That’s very uncharacteristic of you. Nearly falling asleep already? That’s a record for you. Idiot._ He looked toward L once more before stepping away, heading toward the ladder of his own bunk. Over his shoulder, he took note of an accomplishment he was definitely proud of. A day ago, he was sure L was out for his blood, never desiring to speak to him again unless he were trapped in a jail cell. Now, he’d gotten the stubborn man to accept at least part of his ‘proposal’, and was allowed a minute inkling of the normalcy he was craving. 

He’d prove to L that he wasn’t a murderer; that he didn’t want him dead. It may take time, and L may have been more pliable today than he would in the future, due to being so outright exhausted, but he’d get there, hopefully. And if L ever wanted to speak to him about Watari, which he doubted, he’d gladly listen to him. What role the man had played in L’s life, he wasn’t sure, but he did know that L didn’t deserve to experience such a loss, especially so abruptly, and almost right before his very eyes, regardless of how insufferable he could be at times. Beneath his placid façade, Ryuuzaki was likely suffering, and the thought deeply unsettled him. The words L and suffer didn’t seem to mix, or rather, shouldn’t. 

He’d do what he could to be there for him. He was his ‘friend’, after all. Though he’d thrown the word around plenty of times in the past, for some reason, it meant much more in this context, although it was initially based upon falsehood.

“Ryuuzaki?” he asked, in a spur of the moment decision. 

“Yes?” the detective replied, voice still overtly muffled by the pillow. 

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to at least try to mend things between us. I know I’m not exactly back in your good graces, not that I ever was, but I still appreciate it. This isn’t me accepting fault, though. Don’t misinterpret it as that. But I know that things like this take time, so I’m willing to wait. Just let me know what you need, as long as it isn’t anything too outrageous. I’ll try to do what I can.”

“Mmmm.”

Well, that was it, he supposed. Of course L wasn’t going to suddenly be responsive to his offer. He just wasn’t the type. Quite frankly, that made him different, and Light admired that about him, as well, though it was egregiously frustrating at the current moment. _Things take time,_ he reminded himself. _Just wait._ However, when he reached the third rung of the small ladder, he heard the same voice speak up from beneath him again. 

“Mmm...thank you, Yagami-kun. I’ll keep that in mind.”

He smiled to himself, blood pumping vigorously in his neck and cheeks. 

“Of course.”

As the youth lay atop his own mattress, hands beneath his head, he lay, staring at the ceiling. It was still around afternoon for the bunker, but he now felt absolutely no need to socialize about with the outside crowd, even if to provoke Hirota. Everything here felt much more comfortable, much more _natural_ , like every interaction was organic, with a purpose. Sliding into a more relaxed state, he allowed his eyes to slip shut. 

Yes, this was certainly the most content he’d been in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> It’s been a bit of time. Aiming for much more frequent updates from now on, starting next week ^^
> 
> Have a great day 💖💖


	7. Chapter 7

“I can’t sleep.”

...And with three words, his feeling of contentment was shattered. 

“So you’ve been laying there for nearly an hour and a half, doing absolutely nothing. And you just now thought to mention it?”

“Yes. Is that a surprise?”

“No,” he replied after a brief moment of thought, sighing. “No, I guess it isn’t.” He sat up, dangling his legs over the bunk, then leaped down to the floor beside L. “What’s bothering you?” he asked, sitting beside him once more and folding his arms. “Just the regular insomnia? You know, before all of this, I was doing a bit of research. I read about more niche ways to combat it, and—”

“Save it. I have read almost everything there is in regards to the matter. None of it has helped me before. Besides, I don’t believe that is the reason that I am currently unable to sleep.”

“Oh?” he questioned. _This could be a decent start. If L had actually taken his suggestion to heart, he might be more receptive to talking about what was plaguing him, aka Watari’s death. That could be helpful._ Though unlikely, there was a chance, and that was better than nothing, which was what he’d become accustomed to getting from the intransigent man. It felt oddly manipulative to consider leveling with about someone who was down and out, without their knowledge, but he reassured himself that it was for the better. He was trying to help Ryuuzaki, and himself. Mostly Ryuuzaki, though. “What is it, then?”

“I’m cold.”

 _Oh._ So much for hoping. It shouldn’t have been much of a shocker, though, as it was quite easy to get your hopes up when it came to L. Better, it was easier to have absolutely zero hopes about anything prior to dealing with the man. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he sighed. “Well, I wish I could get you another blanket, but I can’t; I’ll get accused of hoarding again if anyone notices. As I’m sure you know, I’m in good standing with the majority of the population here, and while that does give me an advantage—I don’t want to ruin it. Especially so early. Sorry.” He exhaled steadily through his nose. “What can I do?” he inquired, quieter. “You’re already wearing two layers worth of shirts,” he commented, thumbing over the two visible layers of L’s collars, noting the sparse goosebumps littering his collarbone. The fingers against the other’s collars turned into a flat hand on his back. “What can I do?”

“Nothing,” L replied. “I cannot think of anything, anyway.”

“That’s not true. You felt the need to tell me, so you already had something in mind. What is it?”

“Perhaps I just wanted to let you know the status of my efforts to avoid you nagging at me relentlessly when you found out later on your own. Or, it is entirely possible that I simply wanted to bother you.”

“I’d believe that if you weren’t so tired. I know you,” he retorted. ”What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“I wish you wouldn’t be so difficult,” he commented. “Tell me what you want.”

“I don’t know.”

“Just tell me,” he said, voice mellower, as the hand he’d rested on L’s back idly moved in circles, nails dancing lightly over the fabric covering the area. “I told you I’d do what I could. That covers helping you with things like this, too.” As they sat in silence, he waited a few moments before looking down, only to see L’s eyes shut. _Huh?_ He certainly wasn’t asleep, but he looked much more relaxed in comparison. 

A realization dawned on him, and he experimentally lifted his hand away from the other, pausing for a moment. Just as he expected, he was met with a normally wide pair of eyes turned narrow, the look of discontent evident in them. 

Light smirked inwardly, but remained the perfect picture of coyness and confusion outwardly. “What? Is something wrong?”

L scowled, and Light briefly noted that he’d seen the man emote more in the past few days than he ever had in his entire time knowing him. 

His eyes narrowed into what were practically slits. “You know what.”

“No, I don’t,” he replied demurely, titling his head as L typically did. “What is it? Just say it.”

L spent a few more moments practically glaring at him before he finally spoke up. “I am not very fond of you at the moment.”

Light allowed himself to laugh outwardly, replacing his hand on Ryuuzaki’s back and continuing his ministrations, nails lightly brushing the expanse of his upper spine. “You want me to stay here?”

“No.” However, L made no move to distance himself from Light’s hand, or the rest of Light, for that matter. 

“If you say so.” He stood to walk away, turning back after a few seconds to see L with a surprised expression, mouth ajar. He chuckled under his breath. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back. I’m just gonna grab my blanket, hold on.” Returning with a smirk directed at the vague look of passing annoyance on L’s face, he draped his own blanket atop the man as well, sitting down beside him once more. 

“Should I sit up here instead?” he asked, motioning toward the area directly besides L’s pillow. “It’ll be warmer for your whole body.” When he received no response, only the distant look in L’s eyes as he stared at the wall across the room, he began pushing himself toward that direction. 

“Take off your pants,” L demanded suddenly, effectively halting Light immediately in his actions.

“Excuse me?!”

“I meant that you should change them. You’ve wandered all over the bunker wearing those,” he said, a spindly finger pointed forthwith in their direction, “and now they are going to rest directly beside my face. If you plan on sitting there, I am going to have to require you to change them before doing so.”

Was he being serious? Of course he was, there was no doubt about it. _Beggars can’t be choosers,_ he wanted to say, however, he _had_ promised Ryuuzaki that he’d be available to help him if he needed it. “Fine,” he said, standing again, and making his way over to the corner of the room. “You’re lucky I already brought a spare pair over this morning.” Deciding to just change his entire set of clothing, he discarded the ones that had been worn into the box lid, and made his way back over to L. “There. Better?” He sat beside him, his body parallel to L’s, with the exception of his own torso, which was propped against the head of the bed. 

“Mmm. Much,” L replied, scooting in a few inches, likely to absorb more warmth. Light folded his arms across his chest, patiently pausing until Ryuuzaki looked up, a mixture of expectancy and confusion written across his features. 

“Is there something you need?” he asked modestly, and he nearly swore that he could see L scowl, causing him to laugh, unrestricted. “I’m just kidding,” he assured, replacing his hand on L’s back, resuming his previous motions. Though contempt still lingered in them, L’s eyes slowly shut. 

“I am only agreeing to this because I am cold, and body heat tends to be much more effective for keeping warm than any other alternatives we currently have at our disposal.”

“Sure.”

“That is the truth.”

“Alright.” Silence ensued. “You know, you could get this same effect from the tanks, probably,” Light casually suggested after a few moments. 

“Before or after you dump my body in them?”

“Either way.” He breathed out slowly. “Goodnight, Ryuuzaki. Hopefully for certain, this time.”

“Yes, hopefully,” a voice from beneath him replied. After a few moments of uninterrupted silence, L’s forehead barely brushing against the side of his leg, he noticed a few strands of dark, shiny hair juxtaposing the clean, bright white on the thigh of his pajama pants. 

\---

Time either passed by slowly or quickly, though he couldn’t tell which was true. All he knew was that solely one thing consumed his mind nearly the entire time, and somewhere, deep down, he cursed himself for it. 

It had been tortuous, the past few days, with the same thing lingering in his subconscious the entire time, regardless of what he did. It hadn’t helped that said thing was refusing to interact with him for the duration of that period, behaving so different than it always had in the past, evoking both an unbearable sense of discomfort, and a strong desire to rectify whatever the cause of the change had possibly been. 

Secretly, he’d assumed that repairing the issue, or rather, at least a securing a(n although shaky) means of communication with it again, the issue surrounding it which was taking up his headspace around the clock would be solved. While he did genuinely wish to help, he assumed doing so would also solve that newfound problem of his own. However, he found that it could have possibly worsened it. 

Though he’d done away with the nagging feeling of _longing_ he’d been experiencing, it’d been replaced with one of care, appreciation, and hopefulness. _What the hell was wrong with him?_ A product of his environment, likely. He wasn’t yet accustomed to the unusual and sudden changes he’d been so abruptly introduced to as of a few days ago, and hadn’t yet adjusted to his surroundings, and the life he’d likely be living for at least the next few weeks until possibly the next couple of months. It was natural. 

So, unable to escape the relentless claws of his mind, he sat beside the cause of this recent change of state within such, thinking up ways to help the problem at his side to return to normalcy the best he could possibly manage, mind traveling through various avenues that could potentially lead to a faster recovery. In the process, a few times, he felt the problem squirming beside him—something it had never done before, or at least, something he’d never witnessed him do. Upon each occasion, he’d looked over to find it still asleep. _Huh._ Hopefully, this wasn’t something new he’d have to deal with. He’d do his best to combat it, if so, though. 

Upon checking his watch, he realized that it was nearly time for dinner. It’d be about 30 minutes before people began arriving at the storage area, but someone in charge of distribution would likely already be present, likely Utano. The desire to silently taunt Hirota in front of others without anyone else noticing was now fully absent, due to the fact that he had (slightly) achieved his goal of regaining L’s presence, so he figured it was best to avoid the crowd entirely. There was no purpose in general chitchat, and other useless chatter by itself, so it’d be preferable to just swing by now, and leave before most of the others had arrived. That was sound. 

Sliding himself from the bed, he reached down pulled the covers more snugly around his companion, waited a moment, and left, shutting the door as quietly as possible so as not to disturb him. 

The hallways were mostly empty, the sounds of his footsteps easily reverberating off of the walls without restraint. Some may have found it eerie, and the desolate emptiness of the surrounding air unnerving, but it was preferable, at least to him. The benefits of being alone with his thoughts far surpassed whatever menial joy others experienced from surrounding themselves with others. He wasn’t averse to it at all, on the outside—in fact, he relished in it. However, that was merely for appearances sake. This would always be true. 

Or, at least he believed so, until he met a certain someone. 

Just as he expected, the room was empty, save—oh. Instead of Utano, the man who’d offered to help, a d who he’d also been slightly suspicious of was manning the room instead. Out of outward politeness, he’d requested his name, but was distracted at the time and didn’t remember what he’d said. “Hello,” he greeted kindly, a fake, yet convincing smile adorning his face. The man replied with a simple nod, looking almost uncaringly in Light’s direction. _Rude._ However, according to the man’s previous behavior, this wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary for him. Whatever. 

Turning to the shelves, he was met with the face of someone he’d hoped to avoid. _Hirota_. Taking one short glance at him, he walked around the man as if he’d took hardly any notice of him, sifting through items on the shelf. 

“I saw you earlier,” he heard a gruff voice behind his neck, puffs of heated air practically showering the back of his ear, both making him cringe internally and still his jaw angrily. 

Turning his head to the side, he’d noticed that the man whose name he’d forgotten had excused himself from the room without a word. There wouldn’t be a witness if Hirota decided to do something unsavory, but at least he didn’t have to filter himself. However, that meant he should avoid amping up the situation, for safety’s sake. 

“That’s nice. I didn’t see you,” he replied nonchalantly, keeping his back to the brute. 

“That explains why you did what you did.”

“Hmm? And what would that be?”

“You stole extra supplies,” the man stated, matter-of-factly, his voiced laced with some sort of bitter, eager desperation, as if he’d been waiting his entire life for this moment. 

Light froze momentarily, then released a small, unbothered laugh. “Rest assured, I didn’t. They were for my roommate.”

“So, stealing on his behalf?”

He huffed, only seemingly half-interested. “Not at all. If you were close enough to see what was happening, I’m sure you were close enough to hear, too.”

“Hearing has nothing to do with it. I _saw_ what you did. What excuse do you have for that?”

“It has a lot to do with it. Are you admitting that you didn’t hear anything, and you’re basing your incorrect assumption solely on something that happened to catch your eye?”

“It doesn’t matter. Nothing can excuse taking so many supplies. You’re stealing.”

“So you didn’t hear,” he concluded, the upturned quirk of his lips evident in his voice. “Like I said, if you were close enough to see, you were probably close enough to hear, too. Unless, you were purposely, I don’t know, hiding away somewhere, _waiting_ for me to mess up?”

“I was by the door. You just didn’t see me.”

Light waved his hand in dismissal. “Maybe. Maybe I just deemed you too unimportant to acknowledge. Who knows?”

Light could tell he was definitely getting to the man, as he began speaking through gritted teeth. “The fact of the matter is I saw you taking extra supplies. For you, your roommate, whatever, it doesn’t matter. How do you think your little fangirls and guys would react to hearing that?”

“Fans?” he chucked lightly. “Is that how you see them? Well, I’m flattered, but I’m pretty sure that statement is rooted in jealousy. Anyway, I’m a bit busy right now, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to— _hey!_ ”

Within a few seconds, Hirota had grasped at the back of his shirt and thew him around so he was facing him, shoving him roughly against the shelves, sending a few packages from the shelving around them into the air, narrowly avoiding their heads and showering the floor nearest their feet. 

“Who the hell do you think you are?! Taunting me for days upon end, trying to show out in front of your little clique, thinking you’re so perfect, so powerful? You think you’re untouchable? Well, you aren’t! You aren’t in charge here, and I’ll fucking show you! You, your roommate, or whoever the hell else you deem to be more special than everyone else! You’ll fucking see, just watch!” With every few words, he shoved Light harshly against the shelving—lengthy, hard beams digging horizontal stripes into his back. 

“What the hell—get your hands off of—you’re insane!” he exclaimed, trying to push back against the crazed man with his lower arms, as his upper arms were pinned. 

“You aren’t the perfect, helpful angel everyone thinks you are. You’re a stuck up, full of yourself piece of shit!”

“Let go of me! Someone could walk in at any minute!”

“Good, they’ll see how infallible you really are,” he grunted into his face. “That’s fine by me.”

“No, they’ll see that you’re batshit. Let _go_!” He pushed forward with as much force as he could muster, but to no avail. The bastard really had caught him off guard. 

“Why were you stealing extra supplies?”

“I _wasn’t!_ I just told you that. They were for my roommate!”

“So why were you stealing on his behalf?”

“I wasn’t! I just told you!”

“Then why did you take extra for him?”

“That’s none of your busine—” he began, but was cut off by a sharp thrust backward, the shelf directly behind his ribs colliding roughly against them, making him feel as if the wind had been knocked out of him. His head doubling over, he hacked dryly, gasping in succession after each cough. Once he calmed, he raised his neck. “Like I was saying, it’s _none_ of your business, but he hadn’t eaten for days. Now, if you’d get your fucking hands off of me—” 

“Can this _story_ be verified?”

“Yes! That’s what I’ve been saying. If you’d ask Utano-san—”

“Your accomplice doesn’t count.”

“My accompli—she isn’t helping me just because, you lunatic! I told her about the situation, and we went from there. If something similar happened to you, and you told her, she would’ve allowed you to do the same!”

“You’re lying. She clearly favors you.”

“Last I checked, I look nothing like a middle-aged woman who—” he was cut off again by another shove backward, this time not as rough, but while exerting more pressure, almost as if to make up for the lack of force. 

“You knew what I meant, you sneaky bastard. She’s biased toward you. You know that.”

“Last I checked, she openly supported neither you or I on the first day we came here. You even agreed to her being in charge of the room. Now let me _go!_ ”

“You know why I agreed to it. Anyway, you’re in the wrong, either way. Let your little ‘roommate’ know if he doesn’t eat that day, he doesn’t eat at all. He doesn’t deserve any special treatment. Do you understand?”

Their exchange was cut short by the sound of footsteps entering the room. Both immediately looking up at the sound, the man in charge of the room for the night reentered, stopping as he overlooked the sight with a facial expression that disclosed nothing regarding how he felt. After he a few moments, he continued making his way over to his spot in the corner. 

Light pushed his shoulders forward at the notice of Hirota’s distraction, causing the man to remove his iron grip on his shoulders. He wiped Hirota’s saliva disgustedly from his own mouth with the back of his hand, snatching something from the shelf behind him. “I won’t relay the message,” he gritted out, close to his face, then made his way over toward the nameless man to check off his inventory item. 

Expecting to see confusion, fear, or even sympathy, he was quite taken aback to see the opposite on the man’s face, as he was met with a sharp glare. He roughly removed the clipboard from the nail on the wall, presumably checking the spot beside Light’s name, and tossed it to the side atop the nearest empty spot on the shelf. 

The tension in the air overly evident to him, he took a few steps away, looking back to see both Hirota and the other man glaring at him. 

_I see._

Dissatisfaction making its way into his throat in the form of a solid lump, he walked away. 

\---

On the way back to the room, he attempted to control his heaving breaths, the echoes against the walls no longer containing a friendly ambience to them. The more he attempted to quiet his angered, labored breathing, the louder the reverberations seemed to resound, almost to a point that they were deafening with humiliation, though no one else was around to hear it. Arriving at the room door, he threw it open roughly then stopped at the sight before him. 

_L._ He’d almost forgotten about him, somehow, in the wake of all the bullshit that had just occurred. Looking upon the still dozing man, peacefulness etched in his features, rather than the bulldozing harshness in Hirota’s, or the daring dislike he saw in the other man’s just moments ago, he felt his blood pressure lower as a wave of calmness washed over him. 

Gently shutting the door behind him, he quietly stalked over to the tray, pulling it out and setting his dinner atop it. He hadn’t gotten anything for L, since _someone else_ had been manning the station. If Utano was back in the morning, he’d get L’s missed portion from her when the time arrived. Opening the chair that was still leaning against the wall, he dropped himself into it, fumbling for his bottle of water when he realized that his hand was trembling. The realization angering him further, he fumbled with his utensil as well, struggling to get anything onto the fork in the process. With another shaky grip, he turned the front of the package upward fo read the label. 

_Peas._ Of course. Of all things he could have possible grabbed at this specific time, he had to have taken the one thing that would constantly roll around and fall off of his fork. Trying a few more times, he’d almost seemed to get the hang of it, but the vibrations of his wrist sent the vegetables flying back into the packet in which they came. _Fuck it._ He stabbed the prongs somewhat violently into the pack, only spearing a few of the spheres at a time, but that was one of the last things on his mind. 

_This is disgusting,_ he thought, as he mechanically shoved a few peas at a time into his mouth. _Fucking Hirota._ Everything beside his thoughts and the occasional crinkling of his fork against the package was quiet, until he heard a small amount of shuffling from the area nearest the bunk beds. 

Looking up, he noticed L begin to awake, glancing up confusedly when he seemed to notice the empty space beside him. “Just a minute,” he called out, cursing himself for the shaky lilt obvious in his throat, effectively hiding it with the next phrase he spoke. “I’ll be right there.”

Hurriedly shoving the remnants of the peas into his mouth, he cast the chair aside, not even so much as bothering to put anything away. He sat beside the other once more, straightening his legs beside him on the mattress. Eyes clouded with sleep, L looked to him in what seemed to be distant confusion, which he first assumed to be due to his initial absence, but soon noticed otherwise when he trailed L’s readjusted gaze to his shivering hand. “Don’t worry,” he assured. “It’s fine. There’s a bit of a chill in here, isn’t there?” He reached his hand behind L’s back and continued rubbing the small circles onto it that he had earlier. L looked as if he didn’t quite believe him, but didn’t know what was wrong, and simply resigned himself to laying his head back down, dark strands of hair brushing against the outside of Light’s leg once more. For some odd, unplaceable reason, the sight comforted him, and he hooked a single finger into Ryuuzaki’s fringe, brushing more of the loose strands of hair forward, away from the resting man’s face and further onto his own lap. 

Looking down, he saw L’s eyes open at the interaction, then close once more, not making a single comment. He silently thanked him in his head for not pushing further conversation about the incident, though he knew he could probably only attribute that to the man’s exhaustion. 

Following that train of thought, he realized he was exhausted as well, and allowed the back of his head to loll lazily against the head of the bed, releasing a measured, though shaky breath as he did so. 

_Should he move to his own bed?_ If he did, L’s sleep would be cut short (due to his cold naturedness), which would be cruel, especially since he knew he hadn’t slept in what seemed to be forever. Plus, as he watched the man at his hip release slow, calm inhales and exhales, he realized the that the other’s presence was effectively calming him, allowing him to relax further. L’s hands were backward, one with fingers that dangled from his lips, even in unconsciousness, and one in which the back rested against the side of Light’s knee, the firmness and intimacy of the action, though L had likely hardly took notice of it, grounding him. Yes, the decision was made. He’d stay here for the night. 

Closing his eyes and letting his head loll back onto the headboard once more, he knew he’d wake up with at least somewhat of a painful crick in his neck, but the risk was worth it, considering his other options. Hand eventually beginning to slow in its ministrations against his ‘friend’s back, he found himself drifting off sooner than he’d expected. 

\---

The spot beside him was empty again. 

_Good._

Though he could think when Light was around, it proved itself to be much easier when he wasn’t, as there was a lesser chance of his thoughts being interrupted at times that he found to be inconvenient. 

Judging by the fact that the teen was gone once more, as he already had been once, he deduced that it was morning time, and he was likely showering, fetching breakfast, or both. There was the possibility that it was still nighttime and Light had simply gotten up to visit the restroom, but he figured that he would have done so when he had retrieved his dinner. That, combined with the fact that he himself felt much more well rested led him to believe that the morning time was the reason behind his absence. 

Thoughts soaring, he began to recap the events of the previous day. He had semi ‘made up’ with Light, or rather, told him that he’d accepted his proposal, had a ‘friendly’ conversation with him as a result of said proposal, then practically requested assistance to sleep from him as well. 

_Good._ Everything was going according to his plan. In each of those situations, Light had reacted just as he’d wanted him to, and even more openly, in some of them. It seemed that the teen had missed him even more than he originally assumed. If Light wasn’t acting, he was making serious progress. 

This coincided perfectly with his idea. The method of pulling away, then returning forward, for a bit, was working swimmingly, and if he continued to do so, he’d have the young killer exactly where he wanted him. 

Light was undoubtedly invested at this point—his adverse reaction from being in such a new environment under the circumstances that forced him to do so only working to help L’s efforts. 

With a secret dislike for the majority of others that the youth held deep inside of him, buried within his core, that he revealed and shared with only L—he was more than convinced that Light would prefer his presence more than anyone else’s in the bunker. It annoyed him deeply to be forced to deal with him so often, but it was part of the journey he was required to be on in order to secure his safety. 

Preferring L’s presence, and missing him so dearly, Light would certainly do ‘kind’ things for him that he never had in the past, most of which he’d never seen. He’d convince himself that he was doing these things out of concern for L, however, L knew it was simply his own absence, paired with the fact that the situation had been far out of Light’s control, causing him to behave in such a way. Light would desperately need to regain control of the situation—or, rather, would at least need to believe he was doing so, whether the arrogant murderer’s subconscious admitted it or not—before he would return to his normal self. 

So, that was it. Light would never ‘regain’ full control over the situation. He’d allow Light to get ‘closer’ to him (being allowed to ‘help’ L and have his efforts be successful would certainly stroke Light’s ego, as he’d very recently witnessed firsthand), and pull back once he deemed them too ‘close’, forcing the other to vie for his attention and forgiveness once more, further engraving his importance into Light’s mind. Then, when the other would be close to his breaking point, whether he knew it or not, he’d allow him to get close to him once more, closer than previous, making the wait and efforts worth their while. To Light, it would seem like a series of constant disagreements and fights, like what they were accustomed to experiencing back at HQ. However, this would be entirely different, serving another purpose. 

Though he couldn’t allow Light to ever fully ‘regain’ control over the situation, he couldn’t allow him to fully ‘lose’ control over it, either. If he did so, Light would eventually snap, retaliating against him in the process, which was very counterintuitive to his goal. No, he needed to remain somewhat in grasp, though further away, at times. Far enough that if Light wanted ‘make it up’ to him, he could, but not so far away as to be entirely unreachable. He’d have to keep him in that exact sweet spot, unbeknownst to him. 

There was always the possibility that Light would discover what was occurring. However, if it came to that, Light’s care for him would hopefully be too overpowering for him to follow through with harming him. 

In the midst of his mental ravings, he heard the door began to squeak open, and instantly shut his eyes, still in the exact position that Light had left him in, covers tucked tightly around him. As he heard a few noises across the room, he slowly opened them once more, stretching almost as if it were perfectly rehearsed, and propped himself against the head of the bunk, bringing his knees to his chest. “Yagami-kun?” he called tiredly, his voice weak. 

“Oh, hey,” he said, almost distractedly, and turned around with a smile. “Didn’t realize you’d woken up.”

“I hadn’t,” he replied, thumbing at his lip. “Only just now.”

“I see. Well, good morning to you,” he replied, still smiling warmly at him. “Oh! I almost forgot. Look what I found,” he said, and picked up a packet, turning it around in his hands so that L could read it from across the room. 

_Strawberry Oatmeal,_ L read silently, then opened his mouth a bit, upturning the corners slightly. “Thank you, Light-kun.”

Light breathed in suddenly at the use of his first name, which would have been unnoticeable to anyone, anyone else who wasn’t L. “Of course,” he replied, for a moment still appearing to be stunned, then grinned with a seemingly genuine satisfaction L rarely saw conveyed by him. “Come on, let’s eat.” He waved him over, pulling out the tray between them. “How did you sleep?”

“Very well, thank you, Light-kun.”

He pretended not to notice the ring of red that vastly overtook the curve of Light’s ears after he spoke.


	8. Chapter 8

“What is that mark, Light-kun?”

“What mark?” His shirt was partway over his head, his body angled away from Ryuuzaki to the best of his ability, however, this had to be the day he decided to watch him change, hadn’t it? He had an inkling of suspicion regarding what L was referring to, which was the reason he’d angled himself in such a position to begin with. So much for avoiding suspicion. 

“The one right there. On your lower back.”

And there it was. He’d suspected something was amiss and he’d woken up with soreness covering the entire length of his back, but he hadn’t been sure at that point. It could have easily been due to the fact that he’d slept in a sitting position against a metal bar all night. When showering, he’d brushed over the area more than once, wincing every time he did so. At the time, he assumed it could have been general soreness from the event, and had written that off as the likely possibility, not wanting to check at the time. However, this was his proof otherwise. “I don’t—”

“This,” L interrupted, suddenly behind him as he jabbed the tip of his finger onto the offending area. “Where did it come from?”

“Ow!” Light exclaimed, pushing his hand away and immediately turning to face him. “Don’t do that.”

“Light-kun was pretending to be clueless about what I was referring to. I figured that reminding him would be helpful.”

“No, I wasn—it doesn’t matter. Don’t do it anyway.”

“Okay,” L seemed to concede, but Light knew better from experience, and also due to the fact that L was still standing directly beside him, peering curiously at his side. “Where did you get it from?” he questioned, after a moment. 

“None of your business.”

“Light-kun went from warm to cold in a matter of seconds.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did. You were very polite to for me the entirety of the night, and for the duration of breakfast. Now you’re back to being snappy, per usual.”

“You’re invading my privacy.”

“Light-kun chose to room with me, this time, not the other way around.”

“That’s besides the point. That doesn’t automatically give you permission to watch me change clothes and touch me in areas that I clearly don’t approve of.”

“I was merely concerned about Light-kun.”

 _Yeah, and you also love socks,_ he thought, bitterly. “Regardless, that doesn’t permit you to do any of that.”

L simply stared at him, finger hanging from his mouth, a few breaths elapsing before he spoke again. “Where did it come from?”

“I just told you, it’s none of your—” he attempted, however, he was cut short by a swift hand reaching toward the fabric on the back of his shirt, lifting it up with haste and ease, “—hey!” He tried to jerk away, however, the shirt remained firmly in L’s grasp. 

“Just as I suspected, it _is_ worse underneath.” His eyes roamed curiously from the base of Light’s neck to the hem of his pants, taking in the horizontal lines of bruised, purpling reddish skin decorating the other’s back. A moment, then, “How did this happen, Light-kun?”

“I—“

“Do not lie to me, you know who I am. How and when? I’m assuming last night, since that is the only time you were out of my sight long enough for something like this to happen. It presumably did not occur this morning, as they wouldn’t be as bright or as prominent as they are now, if so.”

“ _They_? As in, multiple?”

“Light-kun was not aware? I presume he showered this morning.”

“Yeah, but...I didn’t exactly check.”

“Light-kun is embarrassed about the manner this occurred in, which led him to avoid checking the aftermath of whatever it was. Did you fall violently in front of someone?”

“I—no.”

“Unless the same object hit you repeatedly, yet consistently in different spots, the only places in here that have patterns which match these are the shelving in either the med room, food storage, or clothing storage room. However, I believe the shelves in the clothing room are a bit more spread out, leaving only the two former as options. If it occurred in the med room, you almost would have naturally grabbed something from inside of there to treat them. Unless you were too embarrassed to do so at the time, that leaves only the food storage area. What happened, Light-kun? I don’t believe simply falling would leave marks this intense.”

“I...” He wanted to deny it, to reprimand Ryuuzaki and remind him _again_ that it was none of his business, that he was being obnoxious, however, the fact that L had refused him attention for days and was finally providing him with some, combined with the overall exhaustion that last night’s scenario spawned, he caved. “Can’t get anything past you, can I?” he asked, tiredly. 

“No, you cannot,” L replied, and the implication was there, however, it didn’t feel even close to worthwhile to address at the moment. 

Light stalked over to the other side of the room, L following closely behind. “May I?” he asked, turning around once he’d found himself at the corner of L’s bed. 

“Be my guest,” L offered, gesturing to the almost bare mattress before them. Light plopped back tiredly, a soft sigh escaping his lips, and L climbed atop the thin cushion beside him, hands relaxed against his own knees. He cocked his neck, looking at Light expectantly. 

“You were right. It was last night in the food storage room, and the shelves were involved. It happened, as you can guess, when I left you here alone while I went for dinner.”

“So, from what I am hearing, I am correct in assuming that another person was involved?”

“You are.”

“And who would that be?”

“What, so you’re suddenly forfeiting your impromptu game of Clue? I thought you’d be going for a full streak, considering you already got the location and weapon correct.”

“Very funny, Light-kun. Naturally, I would assume it were Hirota-san, however, it could have been any of those who dislike you as well.”

“You didn’t laugh. Yes, it—wait. People who dislike me? What are you talking about? Who?”

“So it was Hirota-san.”

“No. Yes. Who are the people who dislike me? How do you know?” When he didn’t receive a response and rather a blank, incredulous stare after a few passing moments, he spoke up again. “Ryuuzaki? Who is it?” he asked, more insistently. 

“It never fails to amaze me how you prioritize your image over all else. I’d be disappointed if it failed to support my theories about you.”

“That isn’t the case here. Also, though you might have the luxury of not caring how others view you because you live put away from the public, I don’t. Why can’t you just tell me?”

“Why the persistence? Light-kun should know that especially in such a situation, it would impossible to please everyone. Especially for someone as _perfect_ as yourself.”

Light nearly winced at the word ‘perfect’. “Why the reluctance? Just say it!” he demanded. 

L tilted his head sideways, as if pondering upon every detail on Light’s face, eyes searing directly into his brain. “Something occurred which has, in turn, made Light-kun so overly concerned about the prospect of someone disliking him. Prior to, he would not have been so pertubed about what is likely a small amount of people disagreeing with him, as he knew the majority would likely always support him, even in regular, everyday life.” He looked away, stroking his own bottom lip with his forefinger. “Which leads me to believe that the possibility of someone openly disliking Light-kun has been brought to his attention.” He looked up once more, meeting Light’s chafed stare. “Am I correct?”

Light sighed and bowed his head, shutting his eyes momentarily. “Maybe,” he breathed out. 

“And did this occur last night, at the same time the event with Hirota-san did?”

“If I answer your question, will you answer mine?”

“Sure.”

“Fine. Yes. It was last night, and yes, it took place at the same time.”

“Did the person join in with Hirota-san’s attack?”

“Answer my question first. That was the deal.”

“Fair enough. Yes, I have noticed that the majority of those who were lounging around Hirota-san since day one have expressed dislike toward you.”

“That’s a given.”

“Yes. There have also been a few that have had minimal or zero contact with him that have expressed similar, or have at least untoward body language when you are mentioned or are present.”

“And who are they?”

“There is the man who stays in the last room down the hall the bald one, and the woman with bleached hair across from him. Crows feet,” he nodded mostly to himself, tapping around his eye area. “There is also a gentleman who doesn’t seem much older than yourself, but I know nothing much about him as I rarely see him, as well as someone else I believe he has made acquaintance with while being here. Lastly, the man who volunteered to help you during that meeting after others had already been selected. The tall one.”

“I knew I was right not to trust him.”

“You say that, but he has every reason not to trust you in return. But yes, I noticed the way you partnered him up with Utano-san, rather than leaving him in charge of a room on his own.”

“I never said he didn’t. And I figured you’d notice that. That’s insightful, though.”

“Yes. Now answer one of my questions. Was the other person who was involved one of those I just mentioned?”

“Yes.”

“Which one?”

“The guy we were just talking about.”

“I see. And what exactly did he do? Or rather, what exactly took place, in general?”

“I was heading to the food storage to pick up dinner, as you know. I walked in, and that guy—”

“Miyoshi-san.”

“Is that his name? Well, yeah, him. He didn’t really acknowledge my presence, even though I was polite in greeting him and everything. I figured it wasn’t a big deal, since something similar had happened before. On the first day, when you made it clear that you didn’t want me within a five kilometer radius of you, I was wandering around the bunker to better familiarize myself with my surroundings, y’know. Since the med room was the only place that was empty at the time, I was sitting in there, alone, and he suddenly opened the door and stared at me as if I didn’t belong in there. I greeted him and asked if he needed something, politely of course, which he denied, but he still stayed in there. I was uncomfortable, so I got up to leave, and he wouldn’t move out of my way. I tried to exit the door, but he didn’t move, and kept staring at an empty portion of the wall, like he was in some sort of trance. He finally moved out of my way, but wasn’t the nicest about it. It was a bit jarring, in retrospect, but I was just happy to get out of there at the time.”

“A completely blank spot on the wall? He was just staring at it?”

“Yeah, like he was—”

“Are you sure that he wasn’t looking for anything? Maybe you were mistaken in what you saw?” L questioned, appearing to be strangely more intrigued than prior. 

“I’m sure, Ryuuzaki. It was the back wall. There’s nothing even close to that area, besides the counter.”

“...I see,” L replied, musingly. “That is a bit odd.”

“Very.”

“Well, that may or may not be something worth keeping in mind. Anyway, continue. What else happened last night?”

“Well, after Mi...” he trailed off. 

“Miyoshi-san,” L informed. 

“Right. After Miyoshi basically ignored my presence, I figured whatever, it wasn’t a big deal. I turned to one of the shelves and Hirota was there. I didn’t say anything, and just walked past him like he didn’t exist, like he deserves. Not even a few seconds later, he was breathing down the back of my neck, saying he saw ‘something’ I did. I basically ignored him, giving him indifferent answers, until he shoved me against the shelves and kept yelling at me, and continued shoving me repeatedly while he yelled directly into my face. Like, spit was flying out of his mouth. It was disgusting. He kept saying things along the line of how he wanted to ruin my ‘perfect’ image that so obviously isn’t true, to him, which was obviously due to his jealousy...Miyoshi was gone at this point. After a few minutes later, he came back, and Hirota was distracted so I finally shoved him off of me and headed to the counter. Miyoshi was giving me this...disapproving glare, that I can’t even put into words, and threw the clipboard down and stared at me with what I could tell was contempt when I left the room. That’s what happened.”

“Hm,” L commented curiously. “And what was it that Hirota-san accused you of doing?”

“Stealing. When I brought you your missing portions. He said he’d watched the whole thing, but I didn’t see him once, so he must have been somewhere out of plain sight on purpose. He was probably waiting for me to slip up.” He nodded to himself. 

“Did you tell him the reason you were taking extra supplies?”

“Yeah. If anything, it just pissed him off more. Apparently, I’m treating you differently than I would anyone else, playing favoritism, or something, just because I urged you to eat the same amount everyone else has. Maybe if I let you starve, you’d be considered equal.”

“Maybe you should have,” L said with a shrug. 

Light studied his face, finding it difficult to discern whether he was being serious or not. “No, Ryuuzaki. That would have been harsh.”

“You would have been in a much better position than you are now,” the other pointed out. 

“I don’t care. You’re more important than some control obsessed idiot’s opinion,” he stated, then swallowed dryly immediately after, a bit unsure why he could feel his face warming. 

L didn’t respond, only fueling the feeling of uncertainty and anxiousness in his chest. Finally, L broke the silence. 

“So, you are certain that Miyoshi-san saw at least part of the exchange between yourself and Hirota-san? Part of which you clearly looked to be the victim?”

Light nodded, grateful for the partial diversion from the previous subject. “Yes. He walked in while he still had me shoved against the shelves and he’d just been yelling at me. The door was open so there was no way he hadn’t heard, at least the tail end of it.”

“I see,” L commented, tapping his lower lip. “So, I am correct in assuming Light-kun does not wish for anyone else to hear of this occurrence?”

“Yes. Correct.”

“And why exactly would that be?”

“There’s no way to prove it. It’s his word against mine, and Miyoshi will only take his side.”

“You have strips of bruises on your back. I think that is proof enough.”

“I could have gotten those from anywhere. I could have asked you to do it for me.”

“Light-kun knows the majority of the population would believe him as things currently stand. Plus, it would likely cause a state of unrest toward Hirota-san.”

“Exactly. As things _currently_ stand. There’s no need to throw a monkey wrench in things. Even if only a few more people begin to agree with him after the fact, it isn’t worth it. Landslide effect and all. It’s a risk.”

“Is Light-kun actually doubting his ability to convince people otherwise?”

“I’m not. It’s just...”

“Just?”

“Nothing. If I wanted to mention it, I could say that you were there, and that you witnessed it.” He swallowed. “If you were willing to. And if you believe me, of course.”

“I do believe you,” L nodded, and for some reason, a longing ache reverberated in his chest at the words. Light almost wanted to thank him, but quickly realized how desperate that sounded and how unwarranted it was. Perhaps it was due to the fact that L had spent so much time vehemently denying the fact that Light could be telling the truth about _anything_ , that hearing he did believe him about something sent shivers down his spine. Probably. 

“That might not work, though. If anyone saw me walking back to our room alone, and never saw you even once, they’d figure out I was lying. That would definitely ruin my reputation. Especially if multiple people noticed.”

“Light-kun, you know that the both of us could think up something feasible. I think there is another reason that you wish to avoid mentioning this.”

“No—”

“There is. Light-kun didn’t want to check to see if he suffered any injuries while in the shower. He also does not wish for anyone else to find out about the occurrence. I believe that Light-kun is embarrassed.”

“That isn’t the problem here.”

“It could easily be.”

“It isn’t.”

“I do not believe you.”

And there was that longing feeling again, except this time it dropped to the pit of his stomach, leaving his chest feeling empty. “Fine,” he said, “let that asshole pin you to a hard object and toss you around like you’re nothing for _minutes_ , spitting in your face all the while, and _still_ not be able to retaliate when it’s over. Then, let who is presumably his friend, or something, walk in and see what’s happening, making it obvious that he’ll take his side if anything else were to occur, leaving you practically helpless.” He paused, irritability evident in his voice. “Wouldn’t _you_ feel at least a little humiliated?”

“Why was Light-kun never embarrassed after our fights? Especially after some of them were broadcasted to the entire task force.”

 _The task force. Somehow, the memory of them seemed ancient._ “I—that has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh, but it does.” He tilted his head to the side, widening his eyes. “You are failing to mention something. What is it? I’m sure a foot to your face failed to do wonders for your ego. At least positively.”

“Do you ever get tired of prying? I was able to retaliate against you, okay?! And I also initiated those fights, at least the physical aspect of them. Plus, can you imagine being manhandled by _him_? He’s a complete bonehead, likely nothing was going through his head at that moment besides ‘attack’. He wouldn’t even listen to anything I said! Would you think of someone like that worthy of putting their hands on you?!”

L’s eyebrow quirked upward. “So, Light-kun thinks me worthy of putting my hands on him?”

He instantly felt heat return to his face, for reasons unbeknownst to him. “Stop—no. That isn’t what I meant. It just isn’t as insulting when you fight me, though.”

“Because you are the one who initiates the fights?”

“Not entirely. Even if you had, it wouldn’t bother me nearly as much as what Hirota thought, and definitely still does think he has the right to do.”

“It is because you aren’t accustomed to people disagreeing with you so openly, especially not to the point of putting their hands on you in such a manner. I believe you have never really considered the possibility of being assaulted, and if you had, you were sure that someone would certainly step in. It also behooves you to appear strong before others. You feel as if they’d think you weak and unsuitable if they discovered the occurrence.” He paused, eyes searching the room. “Light-kun also fears a loss of control. Both within himself and in the eyes of others.”

For some reason, that set something off within Light, causing him to lean forward and snatch the collar of Ryuuzaki’s shirt toward him. “Don’t you too, you hypocritical bastard?!”

“Relax,” L said, his voice remaining even and moderate as he set a hand on the younger’s shoulder, and another on the hand gripping his shirt, a subtle warning as he pushed him back gingerly. “That wasn’t intended to be accusatory.” 

Light initially wanted to retaliate, but L’s calmness and tame inflection made his actions seem asinine, as if he was overreacting for even considering so. “Yeah,” he said, releasing the grip he held on the front of L’s shirt. “Sorry. I don’t know why, but I definitely went a bit overboard there. Sorry.”

L nodded, yet kept his hand on Light’s shoulder. “It is alright. Light-kun is shaken up. I understand.”

Usually, he’d interpret such a comment from Ryuuzaki as some form of passive aggressive mockery, however, at the moment it seemed genuine, welcoming. 

“I’m not—”

“It is okay, Light-kun. It is only natural. I am not upset with you.”

Light nodded. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” L replied, standing, and Light instantly missed the feeling of warmth of the other sitting beside him. “Let’s go to the med room. They have cream that will help your bruises heal faster.”

“You’ve been in there more than once?”

He shrugged. “I used some on the bruises I received when we arrived.”

“Oh,” Light commented, a shadow of guilt briefly crossing his mind before disappearing once more. “Yeah, then. Let’s go.” He stood to open the door, then paused. “Why are you going with me?”

“It seems best that I remain in Light-kun’s company, at the moment. Unless he doesn’t wish to have me.”

He had expected to feel ridiculed by his words, however, instead, they made him feel reassured, understood. That wasn’t exactly atypical when dealing with Ryuuzaki, as he felt, and _knew_ that the other was more cognizant of his true mindset than anyone otherwise, however, he’d never anticipated that presumedly cordial words from the man would make him feel such a way. 

If L were anyone else, he indisputably would have declined. He wouldn’t want the presence of anyone except L, especially in such a situation. _And to think that I could have lost him a few days ago. Permanently._

Light smiled weakly. “He does.”

“Well, let us be on our way then, shall we?” L asked, opening the door. 

Light nodded, trodding beside Ryuuzaki in the direction of their destination. His ‘friend’. 

He knew that when L had stated that he was his only one, in what seemed to be eons ago, long before they were confined to a metal box in the ground, it was an attempt at manipulation, endeavoring to save his own life and gauge his response. 

However, as time passed, he was beginning to believe that aforementioned statement actually held some weight to it, was truly accurate, ironically enough. 

Especially from his perspective.

\---

His pleasant musings came to an abrupt stop as his body also did in tandem, the reason for doing so standing directly in his path, like an unmovable barrier. 

“Well, isn’t it just my luck. The pet and his master. Or,” he leaned in closer to the both of them, eyeing L intently. “are you the mastermind instead?”

L looked as if he weren’t going to answer for a while, which seemed to increase Hirota’s restlessness. “Behind what?” L asked coyly, head tilting to the side as his finger hung from his parted lips. 

“I see you really didn’t pass on the message,” Hirota stated dryly, sending accusatory daggers in Light’s direction. 

“I’m a man of my word. I’m not sure I can say the same about you.”

Hirota lowered his brows, baring his top layer of teeth. _He looks like he routinely facilitates dog fights._ “You can, since I made a promise to you that I plan on keeping.”

“That’s good for you and all, but I doubt you’ll be able to. Last I checked, you aren’t exactly a _’fan’_ favorite around here. Isn’t that what you called them, anyway?”

“Doesn’t look like I was wrong, does it? It seems like you came prepared, seeing one is already attached to your hip. Came prepared to fire for him, did you?” Hirota questioned, an amused look upon his face as he turned his attention to L for a moment, then quickly faced Light once more. “ _I’m_ the one that resorts to pathetic measures? What the hell is this?” He gestured toward L’s slouched figure. “That bothered after what happened last night? Am I supposed to be afraid of this?” He laughed rashly. “I’d love to see him try.”

 _He’s a lot stronger than you think, you bastard_ , he thought annoyedly, feeling his fist clench at his side to the point where he had to deliberately uncurl it in the event that any distant onlookers would notice and subconsciously deem him aggressive. “He isn’t here for that. Not even remotely close. I’m allowed to walk down the hall with my _friend_ ,” he nearly spat out. “It seems you do other, more threatening things with yours.”

Hirota laughed as if he were unbothered, not not the revenge driven savage he’d presented to Light the previous night. “It’s strange that he pops up right after our little encounter, when I haven’t seen him in days. He really thinks he’s something, doesn’t he?” He turned back to L. “You think you’re so special, don’t you? Getting him here to bypass the rules for you,” he stated, matter-of-factly. 

“There are no ‘broken rules’, Hirota. There really aren’t any rules in the first place. Nothing _could_ have been bypassed.”

“No rules? Well, we’ll see about that,” and Light would have sworn he could see gears turning behind the brute’s eyes. Rusty, slow, in-desperate-need-of-being-oiled gears, but still gears, nonetheless. 

“We’ll see, alright. We’ll see you fail miserably, like we’ve already witnessed once. Really, you should save yourself the embarrassment.”

Hirota chuckled once more. He was calm and collected, which was different from the barbarity Light had grown accustomed to seeing him display around the bunker, which admittedly, was a bit unnerving. However, he was sure it was a scare tactic, meant to distract him off of his feet. He wouldn’t bend to it. “No. You’re wrong, you’ll see everyone agreeing with me, someday. Then you and your pet will be forced to grovel at my feet for any sort of freedoms, you’ll see.”

“You sound very dramatic and overconfident over something so simple. This started because of the food supply, which is more than plentiful. It almost makes me think that that _isn’t_ what the issue is about. It’s almost as if it’s solely about power and control for you. _Almost_.”

“It’s about control just as much as you actually care about the ‘wellbeing’ of this place,” he said, in a horrible imitation of Light’s voice. “You’ll see. Everyone will see. Just wait.”

“Gladly. I’ll be happy to bear witness to the humiliation that comes as a result of you making a fool of yourself for the second time,” he commented. “Feel free to start whenever. I’ll be waiting.”

“As if what I said doesn’t bother you at least a tiny bit. You’re a liar.”

Light huffed. “As if. Nothing you could fathom doing bears any weight over me.”

“Are you sure?” Hirota smiled, a small, disbelieving chuckle escaping his throat. “That doesn’t explain why you’ve brought your little guard dog along with you today. For the first time, at that.” He looked to L, leaning forward. “Who do you think you are?”

 _He’s_ L. _You’re talking to fucking L,_ he wanted to say, but he wouldn’t blow L’s cover for the sole intention of seeing some halfwitted bastard’s reaction, as tempting as it was. He’d probably sputter in disbelief, the effects of his panic and racing heart evident on his face, as he yelled random, stream of consciousness type thoughts in desperate attempt to prove the truth untrue, followed by an attempt to throw his weight around and prove himself stronger regardless, though he’d be shaking miserably inside. It’d be fairly entertaining, at least more so than the majority of the occurrences in this place. It’d be a nice change. “He isn’t ‘guarding’ me. He was here yesterday, too, and you’d have noticed that if you weren’t trying to watch me from wherever your hiding place was. Back off.”

“Can’t he speak for himself?” he asked, baring his stained teeth almost directly in front of L’s face. “Maybe I got it wrong. Maybe I had it right the first time. You’re the guard dog,” he said, nodding toward Light, ”and he’s the one in charge.” He leaned in closer to L, increasing Light’s level of discomfort by the second. “Showing up today because your guard dog messed up?”

“Hey, he—” Light slid his arm between Hirota and L’s chests, in attempt to prevent whatever the former was considering from occurring. 

“I am currently present for the first time in days due to experiencing the untimely death of a family member. I was not up to socializing, or being in the presence of most others, and Yagami-kun has been all but understanding. I sincerely apologize if the process of grief causes you irritation, Hirota-san.”

Light froze. _Family member?_ It could have easily been a lie, however, something about the conviction in L’s voice when he said it subtly hinted otherwise. _I hope that isn’t true. I hope he’s just putting on._ He considered the notion of losing a relative he was considerably close to, or admired to a somewhat decent degree in the manner in which L had lost Watari, and internally cringed after doing so. _I’m so sorry, L. That’s horrible if it’s true._ He desperately hoped it wasn’t. A sudden urge to pull L protectively closer to him bogarted itself to the forefront of his mind, however, he resisted as it likely wouldn’t help anything at all, and Hirota was still standing there.

Hirota was apparently frozen as well, possibly from a combination the surprise of L actually talking, which he likely hadn’t expected, and what he’d actually said. He waited a moment, then stepped closer to L, disregarding Light’s arm. “You’re lying. Trying to get on my good side by begging for sympathy won’t work. Either way, it’s too late. That goes for your friend, and especially you,” he practically spat in L’s face. 

“Hey!” Light exclaimed, forcing him back with the strength of his arm, understanding in is eyes. _So that’s how he wants to play. Not gonna happen._ “This is between us, Hirota,” he cautioned, taking a step forward. 

“What? Afraid of involving your little pet, or vice-versa?”

“He’s not my pet,” he stated firmly. “And there’s no need to get anyone else involved who doesn’t belong in this. It’s only between us.”

“What?” Hirota grinned. “He became involved when you started doing favors for him at the expense of everyone else. Afraid I’m going to do something to him?”

Light felt a sickness swarm in the pit of his stomach. _It’ll be your last fucking day on earth if you do._ His eyes narrowed involuntarily. “You wouldn’t dare try it.”

Hirota simply laughed and walked away, his head thrown back in satisfaction. 

\---

“I’m sorry,” Light apologized, as the pair turned the corner. 

“It is alright,” L stated. “There is no reason for Light-kun to apologize.”

“If I’d have known the effects egging him on so much would have been, I wouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry.”

L shook his head dismissively. “There was no way Light-kun could have known.” He smirked in a way that seemed somewhat sad, and it made Light’s heart lunge in his chest. “Although, by the way he reacted, I do wonder what exactly you had been saying to taunt him all this time.”

“Nothing much. Just having visible conversations with those who may have supported him if I weren’t here while we were in full view, and a few sarcastic remarks here and there. Nothing much more.” He looked up, the burning question still laying heavily on his conscience. “Family—?”

L only shook his head once more, finger resting upon his cheek. “Only a bluff.”

For some reason, Light couldn’t find it in his mind to believe him; it was something about his tone, his delivery, his gait, when he’d said it. Searching the other’s eyes for answers, but only receiving clear, yet reflective, grey dead ends, he decided to drop the subject. If L didn’t want to speak about it, he wouldn’t push him to. “Okay,” he said, hand briefly brushing over the other’s arm before he dropped it. “Let’s go then, I guess.”

\---

“Hey! Yagami-kun?” 

Oh God, this was the last thing he needed. Not someone wanting to have a long, dwindled out conversation about practically nothing for the next thirty minutes, especially when he had much better and far more preferable company beside him, at the moment. 

He turned around, ready to politely decline and say he was on his way to do something or other, however, he stopped when he noticed who it was. _Wasn’t she friends with Hirota? Or at least talking to him for a while?_

“Oh, hello,” he greeted, a bit wary of why she’d be approaching him at this time. She seemed to be fond of Light a few days ago, however, she hadn’t spoken to him since. 

“Hi!” She exclaimed. “I’ve never properly introduced myself to you.”

Not another name and face to remember, he lamented. “That’s true,” he replied, halfheartedly. “I’m Yagami Light.”

“Silly, I already know that!” She exclaimed, face breaking out into a pleased smile. In the moment, she reminded him of Misa, only less clingy. Oh yeah, Misa. Was she okay? He didn’t like her very much, but the desire to know was still present. From what he remembered, she wasn’t in the tower that morning, and neither was Matsuda. He also knew L wouldn’t purposely leave potential future evidence, AKA Misa, alone to die. He’d have to ask L what happened to her when they were granted more time alone. “I’m Arita Sumiko, but you can just call me Sumiko. Or Sumi, for short.”

“Nice to meet you, Arita-san,” he replied pointedly, careful to stray far from the realm of intimacy she was requesting so early on. 

“It’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve been wanting to get to know you for a while, now.”

 _So, a few days._ He breathed out a nervous chuckle. _Was this something Hirota had set up?_ The man was standing far across from him, at the other side of the hallway, but Light couldn’t tell what his eyes were focusing on. At least L was beside him to bear half of the brunt of discomfort he was experiencing. He could be doing much more productive or entertaining things in the amount of time this was taking up. He’d much rather have been back with Ryuuzaki in their shared room, either here, or in the tower, where they’d be discussing the possibilities of the case, or casually taunting each other in a leveled, illusive manner—things that wouldn’t be half as interesting if they weren’t with L. Maybe that was because others wouldn’t even border on speaking of some of the things L spoke to him of. He was different, and Light admired that about him. Or, they’d sit in each other’s presence, not saying a word, however, unlike with others, it would be comfortable. Though there was a large piece of metal practically pinned against his back, to say that he hadn’t enjoyed his quiet time with L the previous night, though the other man had been asleep, would be a lie. “I’m flattered,” he stated, only sounding halfway such. He was definitely being much more careless and considerably less sociable than he typically was, however, he didn’t seem to care, nor did the girl before him seem to notice. 

She laughed quietly. “Oh, I’m sure you hear things like that all the time.”

 _I do._ He attempted to glance to L in subtle boredom, when he noticed that the presence he was seeking wasn’t even there.

 _What?_ Brief panic settled in his chest as his eyes instantly searched the somewhat crowded hallway around them, and the open room beside them, not noticing the scrawny figure anywhere between either. _He was just here. Where the hell did he go?_ Upon his second glance around the room, he noticed something else. 

_Hirota is gone too._

_Oh God._

The panic in his chest grew stronger as his eyes darted around hurriedly, trying to spot either in the crowd, but to no avail. 

Oh _God_. 

Realistically, he knew it was irrational. L could definitely hold his own. He was much stronger than he appeared and could certainly fight off an oncoming attack, he’d proven that to Light himself. But, if he were somewhere else, not expecting anything of the sort...plus, the threats that Hirota had just made directly toward L only moments earlier...

No. L was smart. He knew to stay on guard. However, that didn’t do much for the concern bubbling in his chest. 

Ariko, or whatever her name was, was still chattering incessently at him, though he could care much less about that. “Huh?” he heard her interrupt herself. “Is something wrong?”

 _Maybe that was her purpose. A fucking distraction, or something. But Hirota couldn’t predict that L would walk off, could he?_

“I have to go,” he stated suddenly, with an urgency and disregard that he’d never typically utilize during casual conversation, and rushed away, walking quickly down the halls and dodging those in his way. He could care less what any of them thought of him at the moment, something of much higher importance was on his mind. 

Turning the nearest corner, he noted that the hallway was empty, save a few stragglers leaning against the walls, talking amongst themselves. The next was completely barren, only the shoes of someone who was clearly not L or Hirota exiting the hall on the other side.

He hurried down to the next hall, and was met with the same sight. The next was also similar, save what seemed to be a couple sitting on the floor by themselves, neither of which were people he instantly recognized. _No L._

Breathing shallowly, yet rapidly, he sped toward the hallway furthest him, closest to where Hirota had been standing. _Please be fine._ His heart felt as if it were pounding against his ribcage flutteringly. _Please be fine. Please be fine._

He pivoted around the corner urgently, when he abruptly collided with another body, causing him to stumble backward. After catching his balance, he looked forward to see a confused looking L, holding what seemed to be a tube between two of his fingers. “Yagami-kun?” he questioned, tilting his neck sideways. 

“Oh,” Light breathed out, though it sounded closer to a rasp than anything. “You’re...there you are.”

“Here I am,” L almost echoed, the bewilderment already etched upon his face becoming more prominent. “Why was Yagami-kun running?”

“I...” he began, then shook his head. “Nothing. It’s not important. Where did you go?”

“I was in the med room,” he stated, holding the tube so Light could view it with more ease. “I figured that it would be easier for you to apply this from the room, rather than in there, due to their sizes alone.”

“Oh,” Light nodded, still struggling to catch his breath. “That makes sense.”

“Is Yagami-kun alright? When I departed, he was on his way to speak to a young woman who was calling him over. Why is he over here, instead?”

“I was...I was looking for you.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re out of breath.” He seemed to look the younger over a few times before a realization clicked in his mind, his eyes almost imperceptibly widening as he did so. “Yagami-kun thought—”

“Yes,” Light nearly hissed. 

“I am alright, Light-kun,” he said, his voice softer, and Light’s eyes slipped shut as he did. “Though I do appreciate your concern. However, Hirota-san was nowhere in sight for the entire time.”

_...So the girl wasn’t a plant. He’d have to apologize for his behavior later._

“I can see that now,” the youth snapped, then placed a hand on each of L’s shoulders and dipped his head as he attempted to simultaneously catch his breath and slow his heart rate, almost as if it were an apology. 

L nodded, placing his fingertips atop one of Light’s wrists, whose hands were still in place atop his shoulders. “Calm down, Light-kun.” 

His breathing became less ragged, transforming into deeper, fuller inhales as he attempted to calm himself. Really, this was pathetic. When the hell had he ever behaved so irrationally before? Regardless, L’s featherweight touch seemed to somehow ground him back to reality, and all of those extraneous thoughts faded away. 

“Let’s get back to the room,” he heard the quiet voice above his head interrupt what had then become silence, almost soothingly. “We can take care of your marks, and go from there.”

For some reason, though literally anyone in the bunker could have had them for whatever reason, Light was grateful that Ryuuzaki had used the word ‘marks’, rather than that of ‘bruises’. Marks could refer to a plethora of things, and was a very ambiguous term, while bruises were almost certain in their definition. If anyone happened to pass by and catch wind of their conversation, they might possibly hear details he was attempting to keep private. Unlikely, but still possible. 

_And go from there._ That sounded promising, pleasing. Even if L had meant it in a manner open for interpretation, it signified that he had time with him today. The rest of the day did have the potential to be pleasant, at least as much as it were possible in this place, after all. 

However, before they turned the hallway to reach their room, another figure stood in their way. 

“Hirota-san has called a meeting.”


End file.
